Properties Magazine June 2016 to read the full article click here
Making the dream a reality –
The College dedicated the Mandel Humanities Center in September 2015 and opened it for classes four months later. Faculty, students and the community began gathering at the Center in January for classes, seminars, lectures and special events designed to foster civic engagement.
Upon entering the renovated building, visitors found a technology-rich environment and innovative spaces that encourage collaborative learning, reflection and ideation.
“We had a very aggressive project schedule for an entirely new program to the community college environment,” says Jason Nolde, partner for Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects, Inc. (RF + PA). “Our team was able to complete a quick design turnaround from concept to construction documents in order to get the space open for January classes. Despite the aggressive design and construction schedules, the accepted bid was below the project budget.”
“The most challenging part of the project was procuring all of the high-end and long lead-time finish materials to meet the condensed and aggressive schedule.” says Jeff Young, project manager with Infinity Construction, Inc.
The Humanities Center opened with a pilot class of 24 Mandel Scholars who met specific requirements such as a 3.0 GPA in their college coursework and recommendations from Tri-C faculty and community leaders. The Scholars embarked on an educational journey into the humanities that included guest speakers, a study of Cleveland’s history and field trips to places like the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage.
As a class project, the students partnered with the City Club of Cleveland the present a community forum at the Humanities Center in the Simon and Rose Mandel Theatre. The chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, William Adams, headlined the May event.
A new class of 200 Mandel Scholars will be selected in the fall to carry on the Center’s missions and build more leaders for the region’s future.
