A 21st century education center

For 18 months, many UNI students, faculty and staff in the College of Education were left without a home while the Schindler Education Center underwent extensive renovations. Thankfully, the building remodel is now complete - and if early reviews are any indication, the updates were well worth the wait.

David Schmid, assistant professor in educational leadership and postsecondary education, is excited to have a modern teaching space that lives up to its unofficial nickname.

"I have been on the campus since 1998, and I always heard Schindler referred to as the 'spaceship.' Now that I am a faculty member and teaching in Schindler, it is great to have the classrooms and the look be truly one of the space age," said Schmid. "Not just shiny and new, but with technology that will teach our students to go out and work with students across Iowa, the country and internationally in the 21st century."

Hunter Flesch, a junior elementary education major at UNI, believes the renovations have breathed new life into a building, and the positive effect has been unmistakable.

"The new remodel has revitalized the education students," said Flesch. "I walk into a bright building that is buzzing with my peers who are all collaborating and working together. I feel like when I am in Schindler I am in a school full of motivated teachers, which makes me really feel at home here at UNI."

Amy Lockhart, assistant professor in the Department of Teaching, has high praise for the thought process behind the redesign, particularly how light and color have transformed the space.

"In a profession where collaboration is more important than it has ever been before, this new building promotes collaboration, for both students and faculty," said Lockhart. "The dark, unwelcoming spaces of the old SEC are gone and have been replaced with colorful, bright areas. Student spaces are designed for teamwork, and the faculty offices that are needed most by students are all located in one location."

"It's great to be back home in the Schindler Education Center!" said Lockhart.

According to Gaëtane Jean-Marie, dean of the College of Education, "The college has been transformed into a vibrant, modern learning environment - inspiring collaboration, strengthening a sense of community and heralding a new beginning for preparing teacher educators."