Craig McDonald|Newark Advocate
“The John and Mary Alford Center for Science and Technology” was officially dedicated Friday on the shared Newark campus of The Ohio State University and Central Ohio Technical College (COTC).
Construction of the STEM-centered Alford Center cost approximately $32 million.
COTC and Ohio State Newark invested a combined $18 million, and 281 unique donors pledged nearly $14 million to support the construction of the building.
It was noted during theopening ceremonythat the original community fundraising goal was $5 million, but under the direction of Dan DeLawder, expanded to $14 million, resulting in an expansion of the finished building.
Located at 1193 University Drive, the Alford Center occupies the southwest region of the campus’s academic core.
John M. Berry, President of COTC, said the need for the new building was identified more than two decades ago, so the realized center is a vision “more than 20 years in the making.”
With the new building now in place, other campus improvements can go forward with the increased space afforded by the new Alford Center, according to Berry and William L. McDonald, Dean/Director of the Ohio State University at Newark.
Berry and other speakers Friday morning – including Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted – focused on the importance of such a STEM facility to the community and the region in terms of training and preparing workers for growing community employment needs.
“I know what STEM education means for the future,” Husted said. “Your future and the future of your community is bright because of the leadership I see here. This is amazing.”
Husted spoke of increasing interest on the part of major employers in relocating operations in Midwest locations and particularly in central Ohio. “STEM education is everything today… I’ve been in numerous conversations with businesses about growth in central Ohio,” he said.
“You can’t attract and grow businesses without talent,” Husted said. He observed of combining economic development and education, “Everybody wins… The young adults of your community have a place where they can go to get all the skills that they need right here.”
Talya Greathouse, M.D., pointed out that with the addition of the new Alford Center, “We now have enough biological and physical laboratory space to meet this growing need, and because of this addition to the campus…this campus has the ability to offer second year courses, so students can stay on the campus for an additional year and take advantage of the smaller campus setting, the closer interaction with faculty, as well as the lower tuition rate before they transition over to the main campus.”
Returning to the synergy between the local community, educational offerings and employment needs, LMHS President and CEO Rob Montagnese pointed out thatone-in-five of LMHS employees got their start on the Newark campus.
“Almost half of our nurses, 44%, have degrees, and almost 70% of our radiology employees have degrees from this campus,” Montagnese said. “It’s critical we have the ability to attract, train and educate our future work force that will be taking care of all of us. That’s why it was so important to make such a significant commitment.”
The three-story, 60,000-square-foot building houses classrooms, science labs, research labs, student study areas, conference rooms and faculty offices to address both institutions’ growing need for additional laboratory, research, technology and student-centered space.
Following the ribbon cutting officially dedicating the building, self-guided tours were offered, including of a first-floor “Licking Memorial Health Systems Simulation Center.”
The multi-disciplinary space, mirroring an acute care hospital, contains two patient rooms, an emergency room and an operating room with an adjoining scrub-in station so COTC students can experience various realistic medical scenarios in a learning environment.
The rooms were also equipped with automated robotic patients for a number of simulations.
The name of this state-of-the-art building pays tribute to John and Mary Alford, according to a university news release, who were “unwavering supporters of COTC and Ohio State Newark for several decades. Through their early involvement and the continued involvement of their children, they have helped shape the college and university’s co-located, cost-shared partnership as a model for other institutions of higher education around the country.”
In recognition of their parents’ tremendous support of the local community and specifically the Newark campus, Ronald Alford and Barbara and Michael Cantlin “pledged a generous lead gift of $2.5 million,” the release noted.
Several Alford family members were present for the Friday morning ceremony.
Although COTC and Ohio State Newark will share all general classrooms, smart labs and common areas, each institution has its own dedicated space within the building, according to the news release.
