The following information is provided as part of an effort to keep the community informed about the development of the Health Sciences Campus, a significant addition to the University of Georgia. The Health Sciences Campus has been established on the site of the former Navy Supply Corps School on Prince Avenue in Athens. The property was deeded to the university by the U.S. Department of Education in April 2011.
In January, two facilities opened at the Health Sciences Campus:
• Miller Hall, housing the first academic units at the HSC: the College of Public Health’s department of epidemiology and biostatistics and the Institute for Evidence-Based Health Professions Education; and
• University Childcare Center. Opened on Jan. 3 and formally dedicated Jan. 25, the childcare center can accommodate up to 146 children ages infant through four years of age. The University Childcare Center is located in the former Navy Exchange building and is operated by a third-party provider, Prodigies Child Care Management. For more information on registration, see www.universitychildcarecenter.uga.edu
In addition, work continues on two remaining facilities in phase I of construction expected to be completed in July:
• Winnie Davis Hall. Office space is being reconfigured to accommodate the administrative offices of the Georgia Health Sciences University/UGA Medical Partnership.
• Russell Hall. Extensive renovation of the first floor is under way to update HVAC and electrical/mechanical systems, install an elevator and reconfigure the space to meet academic programming needs. Russell Hall will function as the primary classroom facility for the Health Sciences Campus. The first floor will house faculty offices and clinical teaching space for the medical partnership. The second floor will consist of multipurpose classrooms for use by both College of Public Health and the medical partnership. Additional large classrooms are being configured on that floor.
In addition, the university is performing less extensive renovations on George Hall (auditorium lecture hall) and Pound Hall/Wheeler Hall (recreational space for faculty, staff and students). These facilities also will be open by the fall, when it is estimated that 400 to 500 students-the vast majority of them from the College of Public Health-will be taking classes at the Health Sciences Campus. Also, University Housing has opened all of the townhouses and homes on Kenny Road and Gilmore Circle and plans to have the remaining ones on McGowan Road available for lease in fall 2012.
The University System Board of Regents has now approved phase II of renovation at the Health Sciences Campus. Facilities in that phase of renovation include Rhodes Hall, to accommodate the College of Public Health’s administrative headquarters and dean’s office, and Scott Hall, the former officer’s club facility, to serve as a student center for the campus. These facilities will be ready for occupation in fall 2013.
For previous updates in this series, see:
http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/health-sciences-campus-update_10-19-2011/, http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/health-sciences-campus-update/ and http://news.uga.edu/releases/article/uga-and-u.s.-department-of-education-deed-conveyance-ceremony/.
For additional information on the UGA Health Sciences Campus, contact Kathy Pharr at 706/542-1361 or pharr@uga.edu.
