Western's Florence Schneider Hall Could
Reopen In 2005 As Home Of Kentucky
Academy For Mathematics And Science
July 04, 2003
Bowling Green, Ky. - Florence Schneider Hall, one of the historic buildings on Western Kentucky University's campus, has closed as a residence hall and could reopen in 2005 as The Kentucky Academy for Mathematics and Science.
University officials are hoping that a combination of public and private support can provide the $11 million needed to renovate Schneider Hall and the $2.5 million a year needed to operate the Kentucky Academy, which was first proposed in 1999.
"Public/private partnerships are working well in the state of Kentucky," said Tom Hiles, Western's vice president for Institutional Advancement. "A good example is the so-called "Bucks for Brains" money that matched donor gifts for scholarship and professorship endowment. We will be having discussions with the state this summer to see if that model could apply to the Kentucky Academy.
"We believe a number of alumni and friends would want to support such an important project that will encourage our most academically successful students to stay in Kentucky and will benefit the Kentucky and regional economy," Hiles said.
The mission of the Kentucky Academy for Mathematics and Science is to offer a residential early admissions college program for bright, highly motivated Kentucky high school students who have demonstrated an interest in pursuing careers in math and science.
"I am very hopeful that in the next legislative session we will receive the state funding which along with private support will allow us to renovate Schneider Hall and operate the Kentucky Academy," said Dr. Julia Roberts, director of The Center for Gifted Studies.
"The underlying issue is providing appropriate educational opportunities for all children, including the students who need advanced opportunities to learn," she said.
At the Kentucky Academy, high school juniors and seniors would live in a renovated Schneider Hall and take classes for two years at Western. At the end of two years, Academy students will have earned at least 60 college credit hours in addition to completing high school. Academy graduates may choose to stay at Western Kentucky University or transfer to other universities to complete their bachelor's degrees. (Additional information on the Academy is available online at www.wku.edu/academy)
The Kentucky Academy for Mathematics and Science would be the latest occupant of Schneider Hall, a building that was completed in 1929. The facility was originally named West Hall and renamed White Stone Hall in 1961.
In 1969, the building was renamed Florence Schneider Hall to honor a longtime University secretary, bookkeeper, registrar and bursar. The building was renovated in 1959, 1963, 1965 and 1977.
In spring 1943, female residents had to move out to provide housing for the 321st College Training Detachment, a group of Army Air Corps cadets who took classes at Western and flight training at the airport. The cadets were there until summer 1944.
The building was renovated in 1977 to accommodate Western's Continuing Education Center. The building also housed the Career Planning and Placement Office.
In the fall of 1980 Schneider reverted to a residence hall, with the stipulation that the Continuing Education Center could move back if the need for extra residence space decreased.
After an enrollment decline, Schneider was closed as a residence hall in spring 1984 and housed the Continuing Education Center and the Kentucky Sheriff's Association Academy. The building also was used for conferences and as lodging for university guests.
Schneider Hall reopened in 1987 as a co-ed residence hall. Last year it housed 120-130 students.
Under the original proposal for the Kentucky Academy, Housing and Residence Life planned to close Schneider Hall this year, but had expected to get another year of service from the building, said Brian Kuster, HRL director.
However, Kuster said correcting life-safety issues – such as mold, lack of sprinklers and elevator repairs – would have been too costly to keep the building open one more year.
The building's history, suite setup and sense of community made it popular for students, Kuster said. "I think Schneider Hall can be a beautiful building again, but it needs to be completely renovated inside," he said.
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