The day I started work at George Mason University in Fairfax VA, (in 1998) my boss, the CIO, Joy Hughes, took me to the window in her office and pointed to an empty lot across the road. "Do you see that spot?" she said. I nodded. "I want you to build a state-of-the-art academic building there." The University had just gotten approval to construct a new academic building, Academic IV. Unlike other campus buildings, no academic departments would be assigned there. Its facilities would be shared by all academic units, with the proviso that anyone who wanted to use this space had to incorporate the use of technology into their instruction.
Its goals, as articulated by the University, were to "provide the University with the facilities to bring to the campus the finest instructional resources and also to distribute to the region the very best in instruction. The building will be designed to facilitate team learning and hands-on learning. It will serve as a demonstration site for the use of technology to enhance learning." A very tall order.
So, for the next five years, in addition to managing the various departments of the Division of Instructional Technology, I was taken up with planning and implementing that vision. It was one of the most exciting projects I ever had the chance to be part of.
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| Innovation Hall |
One of our first steps was to hold listening sessions with the various academic divisions on campus to get input from faculty about what they wanted in the way of technology support for instruction. I attended dozens of focus group sessions and read hundreds of emails from faculty expressing their frustrations with the existing classrooms and their hopes for the new space. Not only did we get good information from this, but it also gave me a chance as a new staff member to get to know the University and for them to get to know me.
Faculty said they wanted sophisticated audio-visual systems, including video-conferencing, and the ability to move easily between various technology tools, as well as readily available tech support. In addition to classrooms, faculty wanted more large lecture-type spaces with advanced presentation capabilities and also more computers available for students, since the existing computer labs were almost always full and students often had to wait for an opportunity to use a computer. (note that this was before the day when every student carried a tablet in his/her backpack.)
In addition, I had the opportunity to visit with other universities that were on the leading edge of instructional technology to see what they were doing.
We were also looking to create space where support services such as GMU-TV and Telecommunications could be housed as well as an area for faculty support in using technology.
In the end, we came up with a plan for a 100,000 SF building that included 3 floors of instructional space with more than 30 technology-enhanced classrooms in different configurations and several larger lecture spaces, a brand-new walk in Support Center Area, a 140-seat computer lab, and a 4th floor for instructional support services, including a state-of-the-art studio for GMU TV, a new Instructional Resource Center for faculty, and a new office for me. (That's my office window there on the back corner of the fourth floor.)
But the plan was just the beginning. The University had to go back to the legislature and ask for more money, ultimately receiving $18 million for construction and equipment. Technology and flexibility are not cheap. Then there was working with architects and technicians to implement the plan and actually make the building a reality. Over the next few years, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the mechanics of putting a building together. Until I spent an entire afternoon discussing locks, I had no idea that there were so many different ways to secure a space!
Once the actual brick and mortar was in place, the real work began for me and my staff--equipping the building with the technology that would make it work for instruction. We began every morning with a managers' meeting to review progress and lay out the plan for the day. With miles of cable and thousands of machines to set up, it was an all-hands-on-deck affair with our professional staff and our student workers. The students referred to this work as "Fun with Shawn" (the manager of the student staff). Just unboxing the computers was a major logistical operation.
And once the machines had been staged, every one had to be wired into the network, set up with software and tested. Five weeks before the start of classes, there were many who doubted that the building would be ready. Everyone, including me and the rest of the management team, was called into service to get the building in shape for its opening. I'm sure the sight of the Executive Director crawling around on the floor to connect computers to wiring was an inspiration to one and all! After many weeks of pizza lunches and dinners on the job, some DoIT staffers vowed never to touch another slice! (And we did get the building open in time for the start of the semester.)
In the meantime, as we put the finishing touches on the building in the spring and summer of 2003, it became a hot-spot for hard-hat tours for VIP visitors. President Merton, Deans, Trustees and politicians were all anxious to see the space.
There was also intense competition to come up with a name for the building. Among the suggestions:
*Annie Hall (my personal favorite)
* The Tower of Power
* Millenium Hall
* The Emerald City
* Mason Tech
But the winner was: Innovation Hall.
Finally in October 2003, we were able to host a Grand Opening Celebration for Innovation Hall.
It was quite a festive occasion, complete with a green carpet, an archway of green and gold balloons (Mason's colors), and white-gloved student greeters Here is the University President entering.
Inside the building, staff had set up exhibits and demonstrations from every area of the technology team at Mason. Visitors could see the new classrooms in action, learn about the data center, get a lesson in information security, see opportunities for students to use technology, and of course, enjoy some refreshments and listen to speeches from University VIPs.
Building Innovation Hall was a long and demanding project, but it remains a highlight of my career and opened the doors for a huge leap forward in George Mason's reputation as a leader in technology.
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