Students and faculty are coming together to plan renovations for Nobel Hall. Built in 1963, the home of the biology, chemistry, geology, and geography departments is due for an update and expansion.

“The way we teach has been changing for a long time. Smaller classes and more engaged teaching methods are what we would like to have, but the building is currently not designed for it,” Associate Professor of Chemistry Scott Bur said. “We have transitioned from pretty large sections of things like Principles of Chemistry and Principles of Biology to sections of less than 50 students.  That requires more sections, more people, and more space.”

Space was one of the major factors which has inspired the push toward renovating the building.

“The programs housed within the building are growing, and there aren’t enough offices or research labs to house everyone,” Bur said. “This is exacerbated by the reduction in class size.”

Though Nobel was renovated in 1997 to create more lab space following the movement of the Physics Department to Olin Hall, there is still much work to be done.

“Science is changing.  The building was designed just after DNA was discovered, for example, and the curriculum has since changed to accommodate new discoveries,” Bur said. “The infrastructure of the building needs to be updated to accommodate modern instrumentation used routinely to answer scientific questions.”

“Students helped select the architecture firm, students were involved in the strategic visioning process, and students were given the opportunity to review the plans and provide feedback.”—Scott Bur

Students expressed their shared enthusiasm for updating the building, focusing on laboratory equipment as a motivator for the anticipated changes.

“We need nicer labs in the building, especially since a lot of people who initially come to Gustavus come for science related reasons,” Sophomore Religion Major Christie Visser said. “If we’re becoming known as a good school for science, getting better lab equipment is something we should be working on. There are a lot of schools which are not known for their science programs which have better labs than we do.”

Students and faculty have been seeking renovations to benefit not only the biology, chemistry, geology, and geography departments, but the whole student body.

“The current plans call for a complete renovation of the existing facilities and an addition that wraps around the north, west, and south sides of the building,” Bur said. “The biggest difference that students will encounter every day is the expansion of study spaces and ‘informal education’ places.  We have plans for several small group study rooms and for several larger, open spaces where people can meet and interact.”

The planning process has been thorough and those involved have tried to consider all perspectives as they move through the steps of updating Nobel Hall. In particular, there has been a focus on getting students actively involved in major decisions.

“Students were involved in nearly every aspect of plan development,” Bur said. “Students helped select the architecture firm, students were involved in the strategic visioning process, and students were given the opportunity to review the plans and provide feedback.  When the finances are figured out and the project moves forward to construction, there will be another review of the plans.”

“We need nicer labs in the building, especially since a lot of people who initially come to Gustavus come for science related reasons.” —Christie Visser

There is some concern within the student body about the costs of the renovation. Students are hesitant to support the project without reassurance that the costs will not fall upon them.

“It would be nice have up to date technology as long as we aren’t paying for it through our tuition,” First-year Tyller Robert said.

Aware of the large financial strain this could put on the institution, the goal is to fund raise as much as possible, as was done with Beck Hall.

“This has the potential to seriously impact the operating budget of the college, and we don’t want to put the College in a bad financial position,” Bur said. “We also don’t want to simply pass the cost off to students in the form of tuition increases.  As you can see, it’s not an easy set of variables to optimize, but please be aware that everyone involved is very sensitive to the financial implications for students.”

Though the renovations have yet to be financed, Bur is looking forward to the day when Nobel is up to date and large enough to accomodate the department.

“Much of the addition and renovation will help us do what we already do, only we will be able to do it better,” Bur said.

-Kaity Young