IMMEDIATE MAY 11, 2004

ABAC HEALTH SCIENCES BUILDING IN GOVERNOR’S RECOMMENDATION

TIFTON--A new $6.2 million Health Sciences building at Abraham Baldwin College is going full steam ahead for the 2004-2005. The 41,424 square foot building is listed on the minor projects list of the University System, a list that contains projects that cost $5 million or under. Of that money, $4.7 million is coming from the state with another $1.5 of the funds to be raised privately.

“Finally, instead of having a 1950s style ranch house, we will have the largest and most modern facility for the division,” said President of ABAC, Mike Vollmer said. “Nursing is now the single largest major at our college, with around 800 students. These students deserve some first class attention in a brand new building.”

The construction for the new Health Sciences building will break ground in the fall of 2004 and will take two years to complete. Vollmer said the new building will be located on the existing site of Creswell Hall and the Moore Building. Administrative offices for Nursing and Health Services Division Chair Wanda Golden and her faculty and staff will move from Gaines Hall into the new building.

“This building will give us space for our students that we just don’t have right now,” Golden said. “It will also enable us to offer new programs for the community in health-related fields that we haven’t offered because of our space situation.”

Eight classrooms will be in the new building, including two that seat 100 students each. Four general labs are included in the plans as well as three small specialty labs. The Health Center was initially going to be a part of the building as well. But other plans are in the works to re-vamp that building

ABAC is in the midst of a building boom. The $7.1 million Ag Sciences Building grand opening was held Jan. 27 at 2 p.m., and the first 200 rooms of the $32 million ABAC Place apartments project opened on Jan. 9. The college is also about to begin the third and fourth phase of the $780,000 Pedestrian Mall, a brick walkway through the center of campus which links the Donaldson Dining Hall with the new Ag Sciences Building.

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