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TWU celebrates opening of new Institute of Health Sciences-Houston
Center
11/10/06
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HOUSTON —
Texas Woman’s University ushered in a new era of providing
quality healthcare professionals to Texas when it celebrated
the grand opening of the new TWU Institute of Health Sciences-Houston
Center Nov. 9.
“This new
star in the state’s educational facilities is central
to TWU’s intention to increase enrollment, maintain
the quality of both students and programs and be an aggressive
partner in the state’s goal of adding to the number
of students who graduate from our public institutions,”
TWU Chancellor and President Dr. Ann Stuart said at the opening
ceremony.
The new Houston
Center is a 10-story, 202,000-square-foot “campus in
one building” located at 6700 Fannin Street, at the
southern gateway of Houston’s renowned Texas Medical
Center. The building was funded at no cost to the state through
an innovative public/private partnership with the Houston
philanthropic community.
“We are hardly
ever approached about a project without a request for public
money,” said Robert Shepard, chair of the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board. “The fact that generous
donors provided the resources for this building is a major
accomplishment for the university and Chancellor Stuart.”
So far TWU has raised nearly $40 million in construction and
programming costs for the new Houston Center. Major donors
to the Houston campaign include: The Methodist Hospital System,
the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, Houston Endowment
Inc., The Cullen Trust for Health Care, The Cullen Trust for
Higher Education, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System, The
Fondren Foundation, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation Inc., The
Brown Foundation Inc. and The Cullen Foundation.
The Houston Center
was designed by Kirksey Architects and built by Vaughn Construction,
both of Houston, and will serve the university for the next
75 to 100 years.
“The facility
is one of the ‘smartest’ buildings ever constructed
in higher education, incorporating forward-thinking concepts
in building, environmental and instructional technology,”
said Harold Johnson, associate vice president of facilities
management and construction for TWU.
Critical building systems, such as the elevators and HVAC
system, are controlled remotely from Denton. The facility
also is environmentally friendly due to the use of natural
and recycled materials and “smart design” sun
shading devices. Natural light also is prevalent with daylight
views from the corner glass tower facing Holcombe Boulevard
and Fannin Street that allow sunlight to blanket two-story
student lounges.
Classrooms are
located on every academic floor of the building, which also
includes several 120-seat lecture halls and a 250-seat lecture
hall. Seminar rooms were designed for traditional instruction,
conferences, video conferencing and distance learning.
Instruction stations
are equipped with high-resolution display screens, high quality
audio and voice reproduction, DVD and VHS video, high speed
Internet and intuitive touch panel control components. Nursing,
occupational therapy and physical therapy laboratories are
equipped with the latest healthcare technology available,
including human patient simulator mannequins and rehabilitation
equipment, in order to create a seamless transition from the
classroom to the workplace.
The building’s
décor also features more than 30 original art pieces
created by TWU students, alumni and faculty.
In spring 2007, the university will open the Memorial Hermann
and TWU Center for Telenursing and Health Informatics. The
Telenursing Center builds upon an already existing collaboration
between Memorial Hermann and TWU in the education of nurses
for telemedicine and patient care.
More than 1,300
students majoring in nursing, physical therapy, library science,
healthcare administration, occupational therapy and nutrition
began classes at the TWU Institute of Health Sciences-Houston
Center in August 2006. The new Houston Center will allow TWU
eventually to more than double its Houston enrollment.
“By housing nursing, occupational and physical therapy,
healthcare administration and nutrition all under one roof,
TWU’s Houston Center will meet the healthcare industry’s
demand for a multidisciplinary approach in patient care,”
said Dr. Therese Bartholomew Bevers, M.D., chair and presiding
officer of the TWU Board of Regents.
TWU began operating
in Houston in 1960 by expanding its nursing program to the
Texas Medical Center. Construction of the new center was driven
by changes in healthcare education and the need to expand
to meet enrollment needs. TWU-Houston’s enrollment increased
more than 50 percent from fall 1999 to fall 2004, straining
the existing facilities.
“I commend
the university and Dr. Stuart for entrepreneurial spirit behind
this new educational facility,” State Representative
Geanie Morrison, chair of the House Higher Education Committee,
said. “TWU has raised the bar for all of Texas with
a new institute that will dramatically increase enrollment
in the areas that are needed most.”
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For Further
Information Contact:
Amanda McKeen Simpson
Director of News and Information
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: asimpson1@twu.edu |
