Ball State students, faculty and staff had the chance to leave their mark on the new Health Professions Building Monday.
The College of Health invited community members to sign a 40-foot beam that will be placed in the facility at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Martin Street.
Nearly 7,000 students across seven academic programs will use the new building, which is expected to be completed in summer 2019. The $62.5 million facility will feature stimulation suites, exam rooms and an athletic training lab.
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One major feature of the building will be the opportunity for different majors to work together.
“I think I'm looking forward to being around other departments I've not been around in the past,” said 2011 alumna Kim Taylor, who currently works as the academic advisor for the social work department. “The interprofessional education opportunities that they're offering is really, really exciting.”
The new building will allow health-related field classes to be in one place. Senior dietetics major Jonathan Isbill said during his Ball State career, he had classes housed from Carmichael Hall to the Cooper Science Building.
“Without our department really having a home base, it's been difficult for students and faculty," Isbill said. "I think having a home base, like the new College of Health, is going to be really grounding and provide that consistency and stability for everyone."
Alison Gillespie, social work administrative coordinator, has been a Ball State employee for 33 years and said her office is currently in North Quad. She is looking forward to moving into the College of Health, which will feature clinics for psychological assessments, speech and audiology, nutrition, social work and wellness.
“I think that the clinic will be utilized by every department in the new College of Health, and that’s a major deal for people in the Muncie area that need services,” Gillespie said. “We’re very excited about this opportunity.”
Gillespie, who signed the beam, said she was proud to participate in the event as a Ball State employee.
“[The beam is] really neat. I assume we won’t be able to see that beam, it’ll be covered up, but just to know I got to sign it from the ground up,” she said.
Contact Michelle Kaufman with comments at mekaufman@bsu.edu or on Twitter at @mkaufman85.