The new $40 million Main Campus Building is located at One University Way off of Highway 410 South between Zarzamora and Moursund roads.
The academic and kinesiology buildings at Brooks City-Base are at 2601 Louis Bauer Drive. Communications specialist Jillian Reddish said the kinesiology center won’t be available until Spring 2012.
Although Reyna said she felt nervous in a way about the postponement, she said, “You’d be surprised about what kind of miracles happen around here.”
She said everyone is passionate and, “This is a monumental event of history for this university.”
Reyna said a committee of faculty and staff was created to “take care of the move.”
Reddish said this committee and Move Solutions, the company facilitating the move, met with faculty and staff July 29 to show them the proper way to pack phones and other electronics.
The campuses are getting an upgraded phone system. Rick Trefzer, assistant vice president for finance and administration, said via email that the $299,000 phone system equipment, installation and training will serve all campuses.
Three teams from Move Solutions are picking up, transporting and unpacking items today, which allows everyone to continue working throughout the weekend.
Information Technology Services will be working through the weekend at both campus location to ensure telephones and computing systems are connected.
Reyna said there are confidential things such as transcripts that have to be locked and transferred in a different way.
She said there is a group moving to Brooks City-Base who started at noon today.
Reddish said the library is taking two additional days to move to Main Campus and will open Aug. 22.
“The library takes up the biggest single footprint in the building,” Reddish said of the Main Campus Building.
Jacquelyn Longoria, research and advancement specialist, said today during a tour of the new building that the library will have 36 computers and six study rooms.
President Maria Hernandez Ferrier, her secretaries, executive secretary Jan Mundine and executive assistant Lisa Pena, and Reyna are the only administrators and staff who’ve moved into the new building.
“Our students are worthy of this campus,” Ferrier said. Even though the university started off in portables at Palo Alto College, she said students were still excited about being a jaguar.
Reddish said the School of Arts and Sciences, administrator offices, the book store, food services and library will be moving to Main Campus. She said the book store will not be moving until October.
The multipurpose Main Campus Building includes 20 classrooms, a multipurpose science lab for 24 students, a dining place with indoor and outdoor space for 100 students and 800 faculty, staff and student parking spaces.
Henry Muñoz, CEO of Kell Muñoz Architects, Inc., said the campus is a “reflection of culture.”
He said the stone used for the building is the same stone used on the Missions of San Antonio.
“The floor that the students walk on may very be the same tile their grandparents would have fabricated,” he said of the bright, multicolored tile that was imported from Mexico.
He said the building was designed by entire community, Ferrier, faculty, staff and students.
Longoria said there was a chair day where faculty, staff and students were able to test chairs for the new building.
Projects Manager Raymond Heath explained the processes of the hojalata, or tin plate, that covers the front of the building. He said it is an aluminum panel that was cut using a water jet gun to cut out the design. It acts as art and shade for the offices that sit behind it.
Reddish said although the university is not certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design company or LEED, Main Campus was built according to the criteria.
There is water conserving plumbing, lighting control systems, water efficient landscaping, an irrigation system and “dark sky” friendly exterior light fixtures, according to a list of building characteristics.
Reddish said the School of Education will be split — offices at Main Campus and classes at Brooks City-Base, but this is subject to change.
The School of Business and Kinesiology will reside in the buildings at Brooks City-Base.
Reyna said this campus was recarpeted and received a general upgrade with new furniture. It was used by the Air Force for classroom and technology center, and was well maintained, she said. Also, the campus has auditorium space — one that sits 200 people and another that sits 150.
Administrative offices that are not directly involved with students such as payroll will eventually move to Gillette Campus, Reyna said. For now, they will remain at Satellite Campus.
Classes also will be offered at Alamo University Center-San Antonio at 8300 Pat Booker road. The center is multi institution teaching center owned by the Alamo Colleges and houses classes for five university partners.
Reyna said that although she is aware that students have 10 minutes in between classes, she said, “I was hoping advisers would address that. My understanding was that that was the focus — to be aware of the location.”
Stephanie Gower, psychology and criminology senior and Ms. TAMUSA, said, “most students have a good sense of planning.”
She said many of the students who attend this university are used to commuting from the Gillette Campus to a community college like Palo Alto or San Antonio College, so most students know to schedule a break between classes.
To address classroom changes or lost students, Reyna said there will be greeters at each campus with a laptop to direct students on the first day of classes.
But she said she doesn’t think there will be many classroom changes. “It happened before because of a room shortage.”
She said students also can go to the enrollment center to print out his or her schedule, and greeters will be there to help address problems.
Also, she said there will also be “grab-and-go” breakfast items available for students.
