TU unveils more details about new classroom building

Tiffin University has unveiled more details about its new facility, the Center for Innovation and Learning, to be located on South Sandusky Street across from St. Mary Church. "Tiffin University's vision for modernized education takes shape as it nears the final stages of its ambitious capital campaign," said Joel Wilkins TU's vice president for Strategic Financial Administration and Initiatives/CFO. "The university's 2022 campus master plan emphasized versatile teaching environments, sparking the construction of the academic building. With a commitment to fostering diverse learning experiences, Tiffin University prioritized the creation of adaptable classroom spaces within its master plan. As the university approaches the culmination of its capital campaign, substantial funding has been secured to realize this vision." A press release from the university described the building as "a cutting-edge academic facility that will shape the future of education on campus." Wilkins said the center will include virtual reality/augmented reality in one classroom. "These immersive technologies offer students interactive learning experiences, allowing them to explore virtual environments and manipulate digital objects in real-time." TU is also exploring the option of adding data lab servers as the university added a bachelor's science program with majors in business intelligence and data analytics in the fall of 2023. It is also set to begin a bachelor's science program with majors in AI and prompt engineering in the fall of 2024. "Establishing a big data lab for students will play a crucial role in fostering a state-of-the-art educational setting and equipping students with the skills needed to meet the dynamic requirements of today's rapidly evolving job market," Wilkins explained. "It will also position TU as a trailblazer in education, research, and industry collaboration." According to Wilkins, the classrooms are also state of the art because interactive Smartboards will be available for "dynamic presentations", 4K projectors will be available for "crisp visuals", there will be power stations for device charging, televisions for multimedia learning and moveable furniture for flexible arrangements. "These features will enhance engagement, collaboration, and adaptability in modern education environments." The press release earlier this month also touted that the building would serve as a "a hub for partnership with the local and regional community." "All of the technology in the new Center will be available to traditional TU students, as well as workforce development credential students who seek an in-person environment," Wilkins explained. "TU will also engage with local employers throughout Northwest Ohio who are seeking in-person opportunities for their existing employees to upskill. According to Lightcast's report Demographic Drought, 52% of jobs in the next 5 years will require some upskilling or reskilling. "In addition to its existing 59 certificate options, TU will create customized professional training certificates based on the specific needs of an employer, focuses could include upskilling, bolstering retention and increasing motivation," he said in reference to the university's new program WorkforceReady. "TU anticipates that several of these major employers will enroll their employees in a certificate program and send their employees to the Center for in-person engagement." To make way for the 30,000 square foot building, five houses behind Pfeiffer Library on S. Sandusky Street, were torn down. One of those houses, previously 78 S. Sandusky St., was an "early historic" Tiffin home, according to the Seneca County Historical Society. In a social media post, the society said the building was by far the oldest of the residences demolished. Residents can expect lanes to be shut down at times during construction. "As with all construction, there will be a few times that larger equipment will need to be offloaded causing a lane to be shut down," Wilkins said. "We do not anticipate this being for long periods of time. The city will be notified in a timely manner of when those days happen." The Center is slated to open in the fall of 2025. A groundbreaking ceremony is to take place in May of this year. The project was revealed earlier this year in information submitted to The Advertiser-Tribune for PeopleClips. Mitch Blonde, vice president for Institutional Advancement & Public Affairs/Chief Advancement Officer for Tiffin University, attended a Dec. 19 Kiwanis Club of Tiffin meeting in which he discussed the new building and current enrollment. Blonde said "the university has about 1,000 students on campus and 1,450 traditional students. There are also over 3,000 full-time students and a head count of 3,700." When discussing the project, Blonde said the building is "...expected to be key in TU's goal of having 1,700 traditional students." In the fall of 2023, the university welcomed 591 new students to its campus, including first-year, transfer and graduate students both domestic and international. The group is broken down into the following demographics: 436 first-year undergraduates (traditional) 60 undergraduate transfer students 20 international first-year undergraduates 14 international undergraduate transfer students 61 international graduate students In addition to the on-campus students, TU welcomed 316 new students in the online undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. programs.