NNU breaks ground on $11 million Leah Peterson Learning Commons
Northwest Nazarene University President David Alexander along with the board of trustees, faculty, staff, students and members of the community celebrated the groundbreaking of the Leah Peterson Learning Commons on the NNU campus Friday.
The Learning Commons will be multifunctional, incorporating NNU’s current two-story John E. Riley Library for a comprehensive 56,635 sq-ft-facility that will house the library’s traditional book and periodical collections, a variety of spaces including group study rooms, a quiet reading room, a study space with secured 24/7 access, and individual and collaborative computer workstations designed to address different learning needs, NNU officials stated.
The Learning Commons will also accommodate the University’s network data center and academic services units including Academic Advising and Testing, Academic Support Center, E-learning Services, Information Technology, Technology and Media Resources and University Archives.
The construction of the newest facility on the Nampa campus was made possible by a $6 million gift from alumna Leah Peterson and a $4 million grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation. Additional funding from the Albertson Foundation is being designated to develop a Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, which will also be housed in the Learning Commons, NNU officials said. The center will focus on preparing future teachers for the 21st century, training of current teachers and administrators, and equipping NNU faculty to bring technology into their teaching.
(photo: courtesy NNU. Pictured: Pictured left to right: Burton Webb, Vice President for Academic Affairs; Lynn Neil, Daughter of John E. Riley, President Emeritus; Alicia Hedrick, senior Biology Education Major; Wendell Brown, ESA Architect; David Alexander, President of NNU; Sharon Bull, Dean of Academic Services; Randy Cracker, Chair NNU Board of Trustees; Bob Helstrom, Chair of NNU Foundation Board of Directors and Steve Hill, Hill Construction Company.)
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