亚洲AV

Horizon Hall will be open for classes on Jan. 25

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Ann Ardis, the dean of 亚洲AV鈥檚 , is looking forward to getting into the college鈥檚 new offices in Horizon Hall. It will be nice, she said, to have many of the college鈥檚 departments and interdisciplinary programs in one location rather than spread out over the Fairfax Campus.

But Ardis is also excited about what Horizon Hall will mean for teaching and learning when the building opens four classrooms on Jan. 25, the start of the spring semester.

The active learning classrooms in the first two floors of the building are a 鈥渉uge鈥 new asset for the university community, Ardis said.

The six-floor, 218,000-square-foot building is the centerpiece of the that is transforming the center of the Fairfax Campus with a new and expanded Wilkins Plaza (including the memorial to the enslaved people of George Mason), a renovated Harris Theatre, new green space, and an upgrade to the university鈥檚 utility infrastructure.

Though there is still plenty of work to be done鈥攖he old Robinson Hall B must be torn down to make room for the terraced amphitheater and meditation garden鈥攖he opening of Horizon Hall represents a significant milestone, especially considering the challenges from COVID-19.

鈥淎s a result of COVID, we鈥檝e had supply chain challenges. We鈥檝e had labor challenges,鈥 said Cathy Pinskey, capital program director in Mason鈥檚 Facilities department. 鈥淏ut we really stayed focused on trying to make up the time where we could, and because we opened up lines of communication with people really early, it helped to get to the goal to be open at the end of January.鈥

When students show up for classes, the only thing remaining to be completed should be some furniture installation to the upper floors.

Classrooms are spacious and can accommodate from 24 to 120 students, though COVID restrictions will limit class sizes to 30% or 40% of capacities, Pinskey said.

All classes are equipped for video collaboration and instruction. The (MIX) will also be located in Horizon Hall.

Horizon Hall鈥檚 opening is significant because it successfully showcases our commitment to building classrooms and聽learning spaces that truly聽support active, engaged student learning in face-to-face and hybrid modalities,鈥 said Kim Eby, Mason鈥檚 associate provost for faculty affairs and development.聽鈥淭his commitment was聽articulated in our most recent strategic plan and it鈥檚 incredible to see this come to fruition.鈥澛

鈥淭he entire building is designed to enable student engagement and opportunities for student learning and collaboration,鈥 Ardis said. 鈥淭here will be places for students to work by themselves or in small groups and study spaces where students can engage with faculty.鈥

She called the building a 鈥済ame changer.鈥

鈥淏ringing students to that building, and recruiting students to Mason by walking them through Horizon Hall and through Wilkins Plaza, that鈥檚 going to be such a positive,鈥 Ardis said.

On a recent December day, workers were moving furniture and putting the final touches on staircases and rooms. There was the occasional rattle of a circular saw. Pinskey called it controlled chaos.

鈥淚鈥檒l be excited to see people in it, to see people using it. That鈥檚 the most rewarding part,鈥 she said of Horizon Hall. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to see it coming together. Yeah, it鈥檚 exciting.

Horizon Hall, the centerpiece of the Core Campus Project on 亚洲AV's Fairfax Campus, will open on Jan. 25.
Inside Horizon Hall, which will be the new home of Mason's College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services.