UW Oshkosh’s Clow II building will open this semester after more than a year and a half of renovations and updates.
Renovation on Clow, which houses the College of Education and Human Services (COEHS), began in spring 2022.
Since then, the building’s windows, roofing, flooring and interior walls have been renovated with a focus on sustainability. The classrooms were also remodeled to modernize students’ educational experience.
The Human Services Leadership program is one of the programs within the COEHS departments that will utilize the remodeled building.
Amney Harper, the department chair, said that she is excited to use the new, state-of-the-art counseling lab.
“We have been teaching in an outdated lab for many years, so we couldn’t be more excited to get into that new space,” she said. “It has many features that will make the work we do so much more streamlined and easier for observation and supervision of our counseling students.”
The counseling lab, which is modeled after a clinic, acts like an observation room with one-way glass, allowing for live supervision and recorded sessions that students can review.
Harper said that Clow II’s reconfigured spaces and updated technology are the project’s two biggest highlights for her.
“There were some previous spaces that just were not laid out well at all, and to have the floor plan redone really makes learning feel new, exciting and fresh,” she said, adding that she’s also anticipating the room’s new technology. “We haven’t seen what [it looks] like exactly, but I know from teaching in rooms with newer technology, like Sage or Clow South, it really changes things so much when the technology is up to date and working properly.”
One of Clow’s new rooms is the assistive technology lab, which COEHS Dean Linda Haling said shows students how to use assistive technology.
“Some of these features will be hearing loops for anyone who has a hearing impairment,” she said. “[The lab] will have microphones, specialized lighting and paint on the walls. The furniture upholstery simulates what should be in a classroom for students with disabilities. Anything to do with sensitivities, they’ll be able to demonstrate how those spaces will be designed to accommodate people with impairments.”
Clow II will also feature simulation labs, which are modeled after elementary classrooms and include a room focused on literacy, an elementary education lab and a science education lab.
Harper said that there were many hurdles to overcome while the building was undergoing renovation, especially finding available classrooms to use.
“Everyone has to try to find a place with what is available, and unfortunately that doesn’t always mean that what you need will be available,” she said. “You may wish for a classroom with tables that can be moved so that you can create small classroom discussions, but one may not be available. Additionally, what is available tends to be the spaces that are outdated and not utilized often.”
Everyone should be moved into the building by the start of the semester, Chief Facilities Officer JoAnn Rife said.
She added that despite some minor IT issues, all of the classroom technology will be operational.
On top of this, Rife said that the project came in under budget, and the remaining funds will go back to the state since the project was funded by general-purpose revenue funds.
