According to Tom Davies, the assistant director for design and construction, the design for the new Development Office was recently completed and construction has just begun. Davies expects that by November, the Development Office, which is currently located partially in College Hall and partially in Smith House with the Office of Alumni and Parent Programing, will move into a space located above Subway on the corner of Main Street and North Pleasant Street.
The reorganization of the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs and the Office of Development called for a "different kind of space," said Michael Kiefer, the chief advancement officer.
Once the Development Office moves into its new space, construction on the first floor of College Hall will begin. The renovated floor of College Hall will then house the Career Center, which is currently located on the first floor of Converse Hall.
The Career Center has been looking for new space in order to accomodate its staff and resource libraries.
Davies explained that the Development Office required additional work space. "The design for the new [Development Office] provides for ample offices and work stations while preserving an open feel to the overall space," said Davies.
For staff in the Career Center, the move is ideal for the center's new programming.
"The timing is great," said Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Career Center Rosalind Hoffa, the director of the Career Center, who believes that the relocation of the Career Center will help promote many of its new activities and services.
The new offices of the Career Center will have a workshop space for students to work on resumes, make presentations and hold graduate student panels. "The moves will centralize some of the activities," said Hoffa. "It will be a real center."
The Career Center's other new initiatives include the revised Amherst Career Network, which provides students with a connection to alumni and their work, and Amherst on the Road, which takes a busload of students to the workplaces of alumni. Hoffa also hopes changes to the Web site will provide students with more useful and more accessible information.
Despite initial concerns involving campus and telephone network accessibility in the new locations, both offices should be integrated seemlessly, according to Davies.
With all major obstacles out of the way, College officials are enthusiastic about the new opportunities the school will be able to provide students.
"I'm very, very eager and all of us are eager [for the future benefits students will receive]," said Kiefer.