Giving
Where the Past Meets the Future: the Jennings Hall Renovation
Biology students were among the first to experience the “new” Jennings Hall. The historic building at 12th and Neil (one of the university’s oldest landmarks, built in 1914) was renamed Jennings Hall in 2002 to honor former Ohio State University President Edward H. Jennings. Renovation was completed in 2007, in time to hold Autumn Quarter classes.
And what a difference it has made. No longer dingy, dark and cramped, Jennings Hall is now a light-filled, vibrant facility humming with students.
Virtually every detail of the renovation was designed with our students in mind, inside and out--from the cozy window seats in the hallways to the well-equipped teaching laboratories to the courtyard space that invites students to study and socialize.
The Center for Life Sciences Education (CLSE), on the second floor, serves both majors and non-majors alike. Nearly everything a student studying biology might need, including advising, information on careers, research opportunities, and study help, is under one roof.
The biology major, which attracts significantly more students than any other major at Ohio State, has been revamped to better prepare these students to meet their career goals.
A science-learning center is being developed to offer strategies for becoming a better science student. It will provide on-line tutorials, one-on-one tutoring and study tables.
Our introductory biology courses serve about 10,000 OSU students annually. Faculty and teaching staff use innovative approaches to educating non-science majors and continue to introduce new teaching methods to accommodate students’ varied learning styles.
Long overdue for a major facelift, the project involved both renovation and demolition, updating building mechanicals, reconfiguring space for convenience and functionality, and restoring and maintaining much of the building’s original architectural beauty and integrity.
A new free-standing auditorium facing the courtyard behind Jennings offers even more teaching space.
The botanists, entomologists and zoologists who originally occupied this building would certainly recognize its unique façade. The inside might not seem as familiar. But we are confident they would be pleased that it has been rejuvenated to better serve our students.
The building will be dedicated on May 2, 2008.
