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Some units in The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS) have a new home in Joseph Greene Hall, following renovation work at the facility located on the west side of the Hattiesburg campus.
Greene Hall tenants from the college include the CEHS Dean’s Office, located on the first floor; the Child and Family Sciences and School of Social Work, located on the second flood; and the School of Kinesiology and Nutrition, located on the third floor.
The building will offer students in these programs access to a Student Advisement and Support Center (first floor); student lounge space (first floor); mock interview rooms for single and group patient skills practice; a biomechanics teaching/research laboratory, equipped with motion capture cameras and forces plates in the floor; an anatomy lab equipped to handle up to six gross anatomy specimens; exercise science teaching and laboratory spaces; and a foods laboratory with eight fully equipped teaching bays that feature gas stoves, microwaves, and dishwashers, among other amenities.
Combined with the remaining units located in Owings-McQuagge Hall that include the Schools of Psychology and Education, and the School of Library and Information Science in Fritzsche-Gibbs Hall, the CEHS identity now resides within this three-building footprint that is centrally located on campus, said Dr. Trenton Gould, dean of the College.
“The renovated Joseph Greene Hall will offer our students access to state-of-the-art teaching and laboratory facilities that, when combined with our exceptional faculty, will expand learning opportunities,” said Dr. Gould, dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences.
Greene Hall was constructed in the 1960s and named for the late Dr. Joseph Greene, a former dean of the then USM College of Business. Exterior renovations include a new roof, updating of all previously existing windows to thermally efficient glazing, and the addition of security devices at building entries. The interior renovation is designed to provide a high-quality learning environment through the integration of technology, and allowing the contemporary pedagogies found in each of the schools served to flourish.
A new electrical system supporting state-of-the-art lighting, wiring, and equipment is provided throughout, as well as the university’s campus standard for classroom technology. An internal surveillance system, combined with access controls and selective use of panic alarms, provides added building security.
Other new features in Greene Hall include an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant elevator and three new ADA compliant access ramps; an emergency generator to supply electrical power to life safety items, minimal lighting, access controls, and certain laboratory equipment; and a new fire pump, fire sprinkler and smoke detector system, among others.
“The School of Social Work is excited about our beautiful new space. The classrooms are spacious, and the audio-visual equipment is state-of-the-art,” said Dr. Susan Hrostowski, professor of social work.
“We have interviewing rooms, labs, and space for students to meet, mingle, and work together – the whole building is amazing. We’re eager for the fall semester to start, so we can begin our new, improved, and re-energized program in a new setting.”
For information about the USM CEHS and its programs, visit: https://www.usm.edu/education-human-sciences/index.php.
