The UF Levin College of Law is renovating its facilities to make the space a more student-centric environment.
There are currently three construction projects underway, said Laura Rosenbury, the college’s dean. The total cost of the project is about $3.6 million.
One of the projects involves renovating the bathrooms on the third floor of the Spessard L. Holland Law Center. Rosenbury said they are being made “nicer and more accessible” and will cost about $300,000.
The school is also renovating and expanding its Experiential Learning Hub, which will cost about $1.5 million.
The most expensive project will be renovating a large part of the second floor of Bruton-Geer Hall, which will cost about $1.8 million. The goal of this renovation is to make it a place where students can study and see advisers, Rosenbury said.
She said the law college has been considering possible ways to renovate certain buildings for several years, but funding was always a concern. The project was made possible with extra funding obtained from the Office of the Provost in January.
The early stages of the project began in late February and resumed after finals ended in May, Rosenbury said. Staff will be able to start moving back into the newly renovated buildings the first week of August.
The renovations haven’t affected any classes this summer because none of the areas under construction were used as classrooms, she said.
“We’re really excited about these renovations, and we predict that students will also be excited once they see them completed,” Rosenbury said.
Allen Connor, 31, a recent UF law school graduate, thinks the renovations are a great idea since some of the facilities in the law school are outdated, but he said the noise from the construction can make it difficult to study for his bar exam at the end of the month.
“I understand the reason for the timing, even if it is a little inconvenient,” Connor said. “But I am very thankful for the construction. It’s going to make my law school look much better.”
The Experiential Learning Hub (pictured here) and other parts of UF’s Levin College of Law have been under renovation since late February. The projects are expected to reopen in early August.
