Allyn Hall | The Wright State Guardian | Monica Brutto
Wright State University’s liberal arts college began a program and structural reorganization in fall 2021, now the college is entering a new phase with a campus move.
College of Liberal Arts Reorganization
Discussion of the reorganization of COLA began to surface last fall amid declining faculty staffing and decreasing student enrollment, according to the reorganization report.
The College eventually split into three schools: the school of fine and performing arts, the school of humanities and cultural studies and the school of social science and international studies.
Historically, these programs have been housed in Millet Hall with the arts in the Creative Arts Center. Announced in an Aug. 5 campus communication, the majority of the College will move from Millet to Allyn Hall, swapping places with the College of Health Education and Human services.
Millett Hall has become a landmark for students to meet with their professors for office hours or study between classes. The move to Allyn Hall will make the headquarters of COLA a convenient facilitator of collaboration between students and faculty, according to provost Dr. Amy Thompson.
Student Impact
Alongside the move of COLA is the relocation of the CHEH.
“We’re trying to realign and put people kind of closer together in their areas,” Thompson said.
The close proximity will resonate with students who share the same or similar majors, according to Thompson.
Along with facilitating strong methods for collaboration among students and faculty, the move should promote a more dynamic use of space for COLA and CHEH, according to Dean of COLA Dr. Gary Schmidt.
Use of Space and Interdisciplinary Learning
The decision to move COLA and CHEH was made with enrollment projections in mind and thus needed strategic planning to determine the most effective use of the space, according to Schmidt.
With CHEH lacking a building to call home, the committee identified Millett Hall as a great option.
“Only part of the College of Liberal Arts occupies part of the space of Millett Hall, so in terms of the overall planning it was decided that this would better suit the needs of the two units,” Schmidt said.
According to the communication, the move will occur throughout the academic year, but it did not clarify when the move will be complete.
