A new international center will be open to Ohio University students Monday as renovations on the vacant building next to Baker University Center end this week.
The Walter International Education Center was slated to open today, but a glitch in the building’s fire alarm system pushed that date back to March 7, said Brian Bridges, vice provost for the Office of Diversity, Access and Equity.
Bad weather delays also contributed to the late open date, as renovations were originally scheduled for completion at the end of January. Construction on the building, which previously housed the Sigma Chi fraternity, began last April.
The fire alarm system passed its inspection yesterday after the glitch was fixed, and offices will begin moving into the building tomorrow. The center will house the Office of Education Abroad as well as the Office of International Student and Faculty Services. Currently, these offices are located in the Yamada International House and Baker Center, respectively.
Consolidation of these two offices into one location will encourage domestic and international students to interact with each other, Bridges said.
“There will be some opportunities for natural synergy because these students will be interacting with each other more … and there will be some space that will allow us to do programming that will hopefully bridge our cultures a bit,” he said.
The renovation and purchase of 15 Park Place cost $3.14 million. Robert and Margaret Walter, both of whom graduated from OU in 1967, donated $2 million for the project in 2008. OU is paying the remaining $1.14 million through a fund set aside by the provost’s office as well as utility savings from last year’s budget.
“What I hope will happen is (the new international center) will give a focus on what we do in international education and attract students and faculty to come here for that program,” said OU President Roderick McDavis in November. “We hope it will also get more students interested in study abroad.”
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