Continued improvements on National University’s Illinois campus include complete remodeling of two key classrooms, new technologies, renovations to the Whole Health Center, and more.

New Technologies for Redesigned Classroom
Room 139 on the main floor of Janse Hall has been completely renovated, and opened this summer as the university’s newest high-tech classroom. With three giant wall-mounted LED monitors, two projection screens, and an ELMO visual presenter for document projection, instructors have multiple presentation options at their disposal. The projection screens can also interact with iPad annotated application software. The improvements enable high quality interactive classes for the handful of courses shared between the Illinois and Florida campuses. It also allows Illinois students to benefit from special presentations by speakers from remote locations.

“This is the third interactive classroom on campus,” says Kurt Faler, National University’s director of computer services. “In the future, we hope to convert other classrooms so that they have interactive capability, and provide interconnectivity to and between our several clinic locations.”

New Computer Classroom
If you’re taking a diagnostic imaging course in the future, chance are you’ll benefit from National University’s new computer classroom, Room 117A. There, you’ll find 13 new dual-boot iMac computers, as well as a new state of the art SMART board. The SMART board will allow instructors to highlight pertinent areas of interest directly onto digital projections of X-rays, highlight, save and distribute class visual presentations as digital files in addition to other capabilities. The classroom will also be used for faculty and staff training as well as computer oriented classes and labs.

Other Improvements
At the NUHS Whole Health Center-Lombard, our on-campus clinic, several renovations are underway. The reception area is being completely remodeled to encourage easier and more convenient registration and service for patients. This will also include a complete overhaul of the main lobby restrooms. “We’re completely changing the orientation of the reception desk to provide a much smoother patient experience and better customer service,” says Tom Rohner, NUHS director of facilities.

The Learning Resource Center has just received thirteen new iMac computers, and January of this year marked the completion of total renovations of all of our campus housing facilities. Outside, campus grounds are blooming, and the university recently purchased ten mature new trees for the Illinois campus. “We feel this is a environmentally responsible move. We lost several trees to the emerald ash borer and felt it was important to not simply remove but replace them,” says Tom Rohner.

Moving Forward
“The projects are all part of capital improvements being made to the Illinois campus in 2012,” says Ron Mensching, vice president for business services at NUHS. “Later this year and into 2013, the university is planning a complete renovation of the gross anatomy laboratory and a remodel of the main floor bathrooms in Janse Hall.”

These capital improvements, in addition to a new Florida Whole Health Center, are part of National University’s continued investment in providing a top quality educational environment.