UNews - As Markin Hall

Markin Hall to include nursing skills lab in plans

trevor.kenney — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:05:05 +0000

It's never too late to do things right – especially with the future of a showcase building at stake.

As Markin Hall, the new home for the Faculties of Management and Health Sciences, nears its completion date, a significant addition to the plans was made recently with a keen eye to the future. Sensing the rapid growth in student numbers within the Faculty of Health Sciences, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ redesigned space within Markin Hall to include an expanded nursing skills lab.

"It only makes sense to put the skills lab into the new building," Vice-President (Academic) Andy Hakin says. "This is an integral part of Health Sciences programming and in the original plans, this skills lab was going to be separate from Markin Hall. We have the chance now to address this before the building is complete and it thereby allows us to accommodate the full spectrum of activity in Health Sciences."

The proposed lab will more than double the size of available teaching space in the current skills lab, from 85 square metres to 180. Up to 16 students will be able to occupy the lab at any given time, and with its design and extreme high-tech focus, it will serve as a showcase facility for the faculty.

"It will be state-of-the-art and outfitted for the latest training equipment used by health science professionals," says project manager Brian Sullivan.
"Having this teaching space in their building is going to make a huge difference to their program."

The lab will be outfitted with nursing stations, including some with mannequins that are operated from a separate control room that looks onto the lab. From there instructors can program the mannequins to react to stimuli, mimicking responses of real patients.

"The level of sophistication in that space is extremely high," says Sullivan.
Sullivan says the lab can be incorporated into Markin Hall with relative ease, only delaying the opening of the west side of the building's second level. The rest of the facility will not be affected and its opening will actually come sooner than planned.

"The way things are going now, we'll be able to start moving in the first week of May 2010 and we had originally looked at the beginning of June," says Sullivan of a process that will move approximately 20 people per week and take the better part of two months. "This project has gone very smoothly. Stuart Olson Construction is very well organized and has done a very good job from start to almost finish."

While the nursing skills lab is the showcase piece of the Health Sciences portion of the building, the Faculty of Management has its own space to brag about – the Financial Trading Room.

"It is the key element for the Faculty of Management. It's a high-tech, state-of-the-art facility that will provide students with hands-on stock trading and risk management experience," says Sullivan. "It'll be equipped with trading floor-like equipment, allowing students to either simulate trades or trade in a real-time environment."

Designed to seat 38 students, the trading floor is an outstanding complement to the Management curriculum and gives Markin Hall a truly unique flavour. Combined with the Health Science nursing skills lab, Markin is destined to become a provincial leader in two of Alberta's key governmental priorities, once again positioning the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge at the head of the post-secondary class.

Markin Hall receives $2 million boost

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:44:39 +0000

As Markin Hall continues to rise out of a former athletic field at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, so too grows the list of organizations partnering in its construction.

On Monday, officials from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and representatives of the Chartered Accountants Education Foundation of Alberta (CAEF) were pleased to announce $2 million worth of contributions to Markin Hall, the new home for the Faculty of Management and the Faculty of Health Sciences.

"Markin Hall will stand as a great symbol of partnerships between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the Government of Alberta and organizations such as the Chartered Accountants Education Foundation of Alberta," says Dr. Andy Hakin, the U of L's Vice-President, Academic and Provost.
"We would like to thank them for their significant investment in students, which is a phenomenal demonstration of the commitment that accountants have to education and supporting the next generation of professionals."

Through innovative matching programs, a $625,000 contribution from the CAEF has leveraged $625,000 from CA's and their firms and has enabled the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, through the Government of Alberta's Access to the Future Fund, to raise another $750,000 for the facility.

In recognition of this significant gift, a major public lecture space on the main floor of the building will be named for the Chartered Accountants of Alberta.

"In just over a year, we anticipate that Markin Hall will be complete and will provide space for an additional 450 students – the very people who will be leaders in our province and nation in years to come," says Hakin.

An 80-seat classroom, the Chartered Accountants Room, will be available to the entire ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community and will provide valuable community lecture space in Markin Hall, a $65-million facility that opens in 2010.

Jane Halford CA, Executive Secretary of the Foundation, says, "Through the Foundation, Alberta's Chartered Accountants are delighted to contribute to this project. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has a distinguished record in the field of accounting education, and Markin Hall will help further enhance that record."

"For quite some time we have been planning, looking at blueprints and imagining what Markin Hall will be like, but now we are really beginning to see the building come to life, and it is very exciting," adds Dr. Murray Lindsay, the Dean of the Faculty of Management.

"The building will provide much-needed student space and will improve our teaching, learning and research facilities among other services for students. Without a doubt, our accounting program is also going to be enhanced. We fully expect to have even more students graduate with the skills, knowledge and confidence to move into positions in the accounting and finance professions. The support from the Chartered Accountants Education Foundation of Alberta reinforces those efforts."

Gordon Jong, a Chartered Accountant and the Vice-Chair of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors, said support from groups like CAEF play a crucial role in preparing students to serve their communities.

"Speaking on behalf of the Board, and personally, I am very proud to be a part of both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community and the CAEF – a group of professionals who are actively giving back to the next generation of leaders."

Markin Hall gets boost from BDO Dunwoody

trevor.kenney — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:03:31 +0000

As Markin Hall continues to take shape on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus, it also continues to garner attention from the Canadian business community.

BDO Dunwoody LLP has committed a one-time charitable gift of $25,000 to the construction of Markin Hall, which will be matched by the Chartered Accountants Education Foundation. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, through the Province of Alberta Access to the Future Fund will match both of these gifts ultimately leading to a total contribution of $100,000.

"BDO is proud to support initiatives that mean to strengthen post-secondary institutions in Canada, especially in the area of business management," says Keith Farlinger, CEO of BDO Dunwoody LLP.

Markin Hall will provide more space and increase the capacity of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to graduate greater numbers of management and health science students. It will also provide enhanced support to management graduates in positions that help sustain growth in Alberta.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ sincerely appreciates BDO's financial support in the construction of Markin Hall," says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Vice-President of Advancement, Chris Horbachewski. "They are helping to create a new state-of-the-art facility that will provide a world-class learning centre for both students and faculty."

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will recognize BDO Dunwoody LLP by naming a project meeting room in Markin Hall in its honour. Markin Hall will house the School of Health Sciences and Faculty of Management, beginning in the fall of 2010.

UNews - As Markin Hall

Markin Hall to include nursing skills lab in plans

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Markin Hall receives $2 million boost

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