{"id":7331,"date":"2022-04-07T11:55:16","date_gmt":"2022-04-07T16:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.tccd.edu\/bond\/?p=7331"},"modified":"2022-04-11T09:14:04","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T14:14:04","slug":"northwest-campus-redevelopment-project-update-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.tccd.edu\/bond\/2022\/04\/07\/northwest-campus-redevelopment-project-update-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Northwest Campus Redevelopment Project Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the third in a series of articles about specific aspects of TCC Northwest\u2019s redevelopment project, part of the $825 million bond program approved by Tarrant County voters in 2019. Other articles will follow periodically as construction moves toward completion in late 2025.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s an ill wind,\u201d the proverb goes, \u201cthat blows no good.\u201d To which Jan Clayton would add a hearty \u201cAmen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs has been pointed out,\u201d said TCC Northwest\u2019s vice president for student services, \u201cthe unfortunate circumstance of nature has presented good fortune for our campus in terms of facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus, the windstorm that caused severe structural damage to campus buildings in 2016 has led to a redevelopment that includes a new building \u2013 NW01 under TCC\u2019s new nomenclature system \u2013 that will house many of the functions that most impact students out of the classroom.<\/p>\n

Visitors to what has been described as the \u201cfront door\u201d of TCC Northwest, will first encounter a front-line assistance desk where they will be directed to whatever services they seek. To their immediate right, along the south face of the building, are the workspaces for success coaches and the private focus rooms where they can consult with and advise students.<\/p>\n

To the north, in the center of the east-west wing, will be a waiting area equipped with computers for student use. Financial Aid occupies the far northeast corner, with Business Services and the Registrar\u2019s area to the southwest.<\/p>\n

Midway down the east-west wing, north of the assistance desk, is the Student Welcome Center, designed as a focal point for students new to TCC or prospective students and their families. There is a bank of computers and printers for those seeking information, a student life information area dealing with extra-curricular activities and an auditorium where new students can be shown video presentations as part of orientation.<\/p>\n

Behind the auditorium is the crown jewel, not only of the building, but perhaps also of the entire campus \u2013 the Learning Stair. These structures earned popularity midway in the last decade as places for students to rest, study, snack, meet up, daydream \u2013 whatever the moment calls for. They\u2019re wide \u2013 Northwest\u2019s is 30 feet across at the bottom and 38 feet at the top. It leads to the second floor, but metaphorically can take students anywhere \u2013 to success at TCC, transferring to a university, advancing to a rewarding career \u2013 while all the time growing as a person.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s really neat about that feature is that you can think of all the metaphors, all the ways to define success,\u201d Clayton said. \u201cBut it\u2019s also an intentional space for students to gather and connect with one another. I think it\u2019s going to invite some energy into that building that will be exciting to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Learning Stair invites students to look outward in addition to upward. Extending to the west at floor level is a casual study area and a large bank of windows providing a view across Marine Creek Lake. \u201cWith this redevelopment, we\u2019ve had to disperse students all across the campus where we can,\u201d Clayton said. \u201cSo this is a return to being able to see them in mass and in a spectacular way with that beautiful stairway.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the Learning Stair, the building takes a turn southward to the area for Counseling and a Wellness Center, thus joining the services tending to the student\u2019s physical as well as mental well-being. Further down the hall are the Transfer Center, Veterans Services, Stay the Course headquarters and Student Accessibility.<\/p>\n

Student Services are so varied that they can\u2019t all fit on the first floor. Testing, Continuing Education, Dual Credit and Student Activities are on the next floor with classrooms and a large space for faculty. The College has elected to move away from private offices for faculty to a collaborative workspace environment with open work spaces and \u201cfocus rooms\u201d for use when privacy is essential.<\/p>\n

\u201cHigher education didn\u2019t get the stigma of being an ivory tower for nothing,\u201d said Northwest President Zarina Blankenbaker. \u201cWhat we\u2019re wanting to do is dispel that notion and show that we truly are accessible, we are visible, we are among our students and we are among each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a practical side, as well. \u201cIt\u2019s about building for flexibility,\u201d Blankenbaker said. \u201cIt\u2019s about building for agility so that if we have to adaptively redesign that space, we don\u2019t have to knock down 16 walls.\u201d<\/p>\n

The collaborative workspace model continues on the third floor and is reflected not only in faculty areas, but also in the administrative suite for Blankenbaker and her senior staff. The remainder of the floor is taken up with 10 classrooms and the Student Government Association offices.<\/p>\n

With this building, TCC Northwest seems to have achieved the always-sought-after but never-quite-realized \u201cone-stop shop\u201d for student services. Instead of sending students to buildings scattered across a campus, they can be not just directed, but escorted to whatever is needed next. \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d said Clayton, \u201cand if we\u2019re doing our job the right was that\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re going to do. We\u2019re going to cross-train ourselves to be able to give those warm handoffs to get students wherever they need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clayton tempers her enthusiasm, and those of her Student Services team, with the realization that their new quarters, for all the space and amenities they provide, will not be perfect. \u201cWe\u2019re not entering into it with the idea that it\u2019s the solution to everything \u2013 magic or whatever,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to learn. We\u2019re going to figure some things out, and some things aren\u2019t going to work the way we thought they were.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the important thing is that we\u2019re always moving forward with the idea of asking ourselves if we\u2019re doing the best we can for our students and, most important, are the outcomes successful \u2013 are the students getting what they need. It\u2019s going to be great, and it\u2019s going to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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