U of M Lambuth campus undergoing many upgrades

Posted: Wednesday, January 23, 2013 6:00 pm

JACKSON (AP) — The University of Memphis at Lambuth has undergone a lot of changes in the last year.
Dan Lattimore, an administrator for the U of M campus at Lambuth, told The Jackson Sun (http://bit.ly/10hzvbk) that almost all the classrooms at the campus have been turned into “smart classrooms” with projectors and podiums that control electronics, eliminating the need for computer carts. In addition, he said Hyde Science Hall has gone through the most changes.
“We’ve made it into a school for our nursing students that includes four simulation labs and all kinds of equipment,” Lattimore said.
He said the changes allow professors in an observatory to watch students in the lab handle different medical situations.
“We have a better (nursing) facility than Memphis,” he added.
Lattimore said buildings across the campus have been painted, interior sidewalks have been retouched and more improvements are on the way. He said Carney-Johnston Dorms, which already got new carpeting and air conditioning, will be getting more improvements during the spring semester.
“We’re in the process of doing the second phase from now until school starts in the fall,” Lattimore said. “It’s a $3 million project. We’re just redoing everything from start to finish and also putting in sprinklers and elevators.”
He said the goal is to open the dorms when school starts this fall.
The upgrades are bringing about other changes, he said.
“Registration has gone up,” Lattimore said. “We had the first semester with 285 students. This fall we had 582 students. Our enrollment is increasing and is going to be higher than the fall.”
Lattimore detailed the changes as UofM celebrates its first year of owning the campus that used to be Lambuth University.
He said six outside faculty have been hired due to the growth, and student organizations have started forming.
“There’s just a lot more life,” he said.
Information from: The Jackson Sun, http://www.jacksonsun.com

Published in The Messenger 1.23.13