As members of the Virginia House of Delegates Appropriations and Finance committees squeezed into high-school style desks in Robinson B124 at George Mason University on Tuesday afternoon, they experienced the limitations of the building where 30 percent of all Fairfax Campus classes take place.
Robinson has limited technology, no natural light, and no cost-effective possibilities for improvement, George Mason’s vice president for Facilities Tom Calhoun explained.
The university wants to tear down Robinson A and construct a higher-density building on that footprint, and then tear down Robinson B, leaving a footprint for a future building. The $112 million project will serve students and faculty at the largest public research university in the state for decades to come—if it gets funded.
“Robinson is a foundational element for the entire campus,” Calhoun said. “We view this really as much a part of the fabric of the infrastructure of the education side as anything else. It is so critical to what we do.”
Classrooms in Mason’s Innovation Hall include modern technology and are designed for the exploration and collaboration that students need to succeed in the workforce.
“When you look at Robinson Hall and ultimately what that classroom space looks and feels like vs. the Innovation space, certainly it opened a lot of eyes of the other legislators,” House Appropriations Committee member Thomas A. “Tag” Greason said. Greason earned his MBA from Mason in 2000 and also serves on the House’s education committee.
“I don’t think there’s any debate that we need to do something,” Greason added. “But can we do it in the next two years?”
Demolishing and rebuilding Robinson ($112 million), repairing the university’s utility distribution system ($50 million) and repairing and upgrading the university’s telecommunications infrastructure ($10 million) top Mason’s list of needs.
State funds could rebuild the 220,000-square-foot space into a contemporary learning environment that would enhance Mason’s instructional, research and innovation capabilities across schools and departments. The state already has funded the design for the replacement of Robinson and for the utility project.
Laura Poms, assistant professor in the College of Health and Human Services, explained how modernized classrooms provide superior ways for students to learn and for instructors to teach. Citing her epidemiology course, Poms pointed out that in classrooms with little or no technology, no tables and no movable furniture, it is difficult for students to work in teams and to learn crucial communication skills. Her research shows that students learn more and earn higher grades in active learning classrooms than in regular classrooms.
“They need lots of support and help and [the modern classroom] really gives them what they need,” said Poms, who has taught at Mason since 2001. “They’re unafraid to tackle those hard problems that require critical thinking. I can’t overstate how important it is to have the right environment for them.”
Delegate Scott Lingamfelter, a member of the appropriations and education committees and a long-time supporter of the university, believes the trip to Mason made an impact on his colleagues.
“What’s the purpose of education?” Lingamfelter said. “To help people be as successful early in life as possible. That’s what’s going on here. I think the appropriations committee saw that, and I think they were thoroughly impressed. They learned that Mason has a tremendous presence in Northern Virginia and does a lot for in-state students in providing opportunities.”