by Richard Prior
Staff Writer
This would be an example of cutting it about as close as you want to get.
The fall semester at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law officially began at 8 one morning last week. Two hundred first-year students joined 1,000 returnees and 60 faculty in two three-story towers that connect the original Holland Hall Law Center and Bruton-Geer Hall.
The last of the construction, clean-up and final touches was over at 3 a.m.
“We were prepping the rooms, making sure the audio-visual stuff was ready to go, putting chairs in,” said Associate Dean Patrick Shannon. “There are always last-minute things with any construction project.
“But there was a lot of excitement today when the first students walked through those doors.”
Construction of the two towers make up Phase 1 of the school’s $25 million building and expansion project. Phase 2 will be expansion of the library where the Holland Hall classrooms used to be.
The new library is expected to be completed in May.
The two towers contain 11 classrooms, including one ceremonial classroom that seats 175 for conferences, receptions and special sessions.
“These state-of-the-art facilities provide the space we need to accommodate our students with the most up-to-date technologies, including wireless laptops and Esmart podia,” said law Dean Robert Jerry. “The enhancement in our students’ educational experiences will be truly stunning.”
Enrollment in the law school has remained steady at 1,200 students. When Holland Hall opened in 1969, however, enrollment was 700 students.
A lack of elbow room wasn’t the only shortcoming.
“One of the great things about classroom design over the last 25 years is more emphasis is being placed on acoustic design,” Shannon said. “Our big classrooms now hold up to 115 students. You can speak to somebody in the front of the classroom in a normal voice and be heard just as loudly in the back.”
The old classrooms had no more than a couple of electrical outlets. Now, each student’s desk has an outlet where they can plug in their computers and log into the Internet.
Professors also have all the modern technology and audiovisual equipment available.
“Our new classrooms are second to none,” said Shannon, who was the law school project coordinator. “In one summer, we’ve updated our technology 40 years.”
Reserve and tax will continue to operate out of Bruton-Geeras will a small computer lab, media viewing area and reference service. Computer support will move to the current computer lab in Bruton-Geer.
Major work remains to be done on the new library, which will be named the Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center when it is completed in the spring. Chiles was the late Florida governor and senator.
At that time, Shannon said, the LIC will be the largest academic law library in the Southeast and among the top 20 of such facilities across the country.
“Although we’re overdoubling the size of library, we’re only gaining about 25 percent more actual book space,” said Shannon. “The rest will be for technology, technology use and the expansion of study space.”
While construction continues on the new Information Center, the law library is being housed in a former Publix building in Butler Plaza, about a mile and a half from the law school.
“We’re quite pleased to be able to do this,” Shannon said. “When you renovate a library, it is often shut down. When you want a book, you have to call a phone number, and it’s delivered.”
As a result of the temporary accommodations, a slogan being heard more often around the law school is, “Come to Publix, where studying is a pleasure.”
Architects on the project are Ponikvar & Associates of Gainesville. Construction managers are from PPI.
The construction and expansion projects were made possible by private funds raised in 2001-03 through the efforts of the Law Center Association and Law Alumni Council. That money was supplemented by state and university funds.
“I would like to emphasize that this is a very exciting time for us,” Shannon said. “Rarely does a law school have the opportunity to move into a totally new building.
“We now have a first-class building for a first-class faculty and very strong student body.”