Tech's Ozark campus constructing hub for health programs

OZARK -- Arkansas Tech University at Ozark campus officials said a new allied health building will create opportunity for students and the community, as they broke ground on the facility Thursday.

The 20,273-square-foot building will serve students seeking degrees or certifications in health information technology, practical nursing, registered nursing, physical therapy as well as paramedic and emergency medical services training.

"Our friends and citizens need excellent health services," said Robin Bowen, Arkansas Tech president. "Excellent education is needed to provide that."

High-tech classrooms and computer labs will be located in the $4.9 million facility. A student lounge and fitness center also will be included.

Phillip Howard, a paramedic student, said the high-tech labs will make a difference for students learning at the school. One lab will include a simulation ambulance.

"Being 6-foot-4, it is easy to move around in a classroom," Howard said. "It is not as easy to move around in an ambulance."

It is better if students receive training in settings similar to ones they will be in on the job, Howard said.

Bowen said the facility also is needed because of growth the campus has seen in recent years.

The campus has grown from about 300 students in 2003 to 2,172 students this year, Bowen said. About 900 of the students attending the university are in an allied health program.

"We are bursting at the seams," Bowen said.

The new facility will double the square-footage provided by the 9,540-square-foot current Allied Health Building. Overall, the Ozark campus has 91,433 square feet of office and instructional space. The new allied health building will increase the campus square footage by 22 percent.

Sandra Cheffer, Ozark campus chief fiscal officer, said the new building will give students the ability to collaborate with other health programs.

She said that right now, not all of the allied health programs are able to be housed in one building.

The facility is scheduled to open in spring 2016. The architect is Wes Burgess of Crafton Tull, located in Rogers. The construction bid was awarded to The Cone Group Inc., located in Little Rock.

The current allied health building will be re-purposed, Cheffer said. She said the university will be able to expand or offer new programming because of the additional space.

Students in other programs also will benefit from the computer labs, common space and fitness center in the new facility, Cheffer said.

Construction will be funded by proceeds from revenue bonds, Cheffer said. She said the bonds are paid for through revenue the university makes from student fees. The Ozark campuses annual budget is about $10 million, Cheffer said.

Tech's Ozark

NW News on 10/25/2014

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