A new building is in the works for the University of Oregon and will serve as an integrated center for career services and academic advising.
The building, named Tykeson Hall, will have four major components: core curriculum classrooms designated for subjects such as math and writing, general advising, experiential learning through extracurricular activities and administration, says Daniel Pascoe Aguilar, director of the current Career Center.
While serving the entire student population, Tykeson Hall will also operate as a central location for the College of Arts and Sciences, said the Dean Andrew Marcus.
“We are trying to figure out the most strategic and intentional way to get students the highest support,” Aguilar said.
The advising component of Tykeson hall will be a place where those in the College of Arts and Sciences can receive help. The College of Arts and Sciences is the biggest division on campus and accounts for more than half of the majors that UO offers, Marcus said. Because the CAS is spread out across campus, Tykeson will give those students a central place where they can ask questions and get specific help.
“There will be several different types of advising in the building: advising for General Education, career advising, advising for undeclared students and advising for a number of interdisciplinary and experiential learning programs,” wrote Ian McNeely, associate dean of undergraduate education and head of the Tykeson program planning group in an email to the Emerald.
“We will have advising space for general advising to happen. If you have question about careers or course work or any academic support questions you can talk to people,” Aguilar said.
Marcus says the building will focus on general education themes with advisors who specialize in specific subjects.
“We view this as a trail head that will lead students to the many different paths they want to follow,” Marcus said.
The purpose of building Tykeson Hall is to integrate what students learn in the classroom with their careers and interests.
“They are coming out of classrooms and thinking about what they just learned and wondering how can I integrate this into my academic plan or career plan,” Aguilar said.
In terms of design, the building hopes to have a welcoming vibe.
“Accessibility is one of its key design features. We want to make the space welcoming, open, transparent, vibrant, fun and fascinating to students of all levels, abilities and interests,” McNeely wrote.
Although other colleges have discussed a space similar to Tykeson, UO will be the first school to put this idea into action.
“It is going to be quite an experience for students and in the end I think it is going to make us stronger as an institution,” Aguilar saod.
Tykeson Hall will be located in a central area of campus between Johnson Hall and Chapman Hall. Although it is still in the design phases, the building is projected for completion in 2018.