Western Kentucky University’s Florence Schneider Hall, home of the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, was featured in the November 2008 issue of American School & University 2008 Architectural Portfolio. The magazine, which hosts an annual competition honoring outstanding education facilities, showcases projects selected by a jury comprised American Institute of Architects (AIA) members and school administrators. This is the 26th year the competition has been held.
The jury chose to feature Florence Schneider Hall because it is an example of “great spaces for learning that are well-designed [and] multi-faceted.” It applauded the project’s outstanding design for revitalizing and refreshing the Western Kentucky University campus.

Originally constructed in 1929, Florence Schneider Hall’s classical architecture and prominent site have always made it a focal point of campus, but its badly deteriorated condition ultimately forced the University to close the facility in 2003. When the historic building was selected as the new home for the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, The University hired RossTarrant Architects to design a major renovation and restoration project that would create a new, state-of-the-art residential and learning environment for the Gatton Academy.

“Prior to its complete renovation,” said Jeff Stivers of RossTarrant Architects, “Florence Schneider Hall was extremely dilapidated and completely uninhabitable. Through the restoration of this amazing building Western Kentucky University has not only preserved a valuable piece of history, it has created an environment that has enabled its Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science to grow and thrive.”

“Florence Schneider Hall is a tremendous asset to our program,” said Tim Gott, Director of the Gatton Academy. “The program offers an opportunity for academically talented adolescents from all across the state to gather together under one roof to advance their studies. Florence Schneider Hall has not only provided those students with the ideal environment for living and learning, but has fostered a strong sense of community among its residents as well.”

RossTarrant Architects is a Lexington-based design firm that provides architecture, civil engineering, landscape architecture and interior design services to educational clients across the state with a focus on sustainable design. Additional information about the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science can be found on the web at www.wku.edu/academy.

A year after its students first arrived on campus, lawmakers got an up-close look at Kentucky’s Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science where members of the Interim Joint Committee on Education held their monthly meeting yesterday.

The academy, now in its second year, hosts 120 students from across the commonwealth on its campus at Western Kentucky University. The students, all high school juniors and seniors, take half their classes with regular WKU students. Other courses contain solely academy students, while others are part of the WKU honors program. By the time they graduate high school, students can earn two years of college credit, saving their parents money.

Academy director Tim Gott noted that the first class of graduates accepted $2.6 million in scholarships, or nearly $50,000 per student on top of their earned college credit.

Students from 81 counties have already taken part in the program, said Gott, and efforts are made to attract students from every county in the state. While the school’s focus is on math, science, technology and engineering, Gott said he was proud of students’ social studies and arts and humanities CATS scores, which ranked among the top in the state. “Our students are gifted in many areas,” he beamed.

Gott and assistant director Corey Alderdice noted that while students have a measure of freedom because of the class schedule, they are still monitored. There is a 10:30 p.m. curfew during the week and separate wings for male and female students within the academy’s Schneider Hall dorm. Although separation from their families could cause anxiety, “it’s amazing how quickly students adjust to the environment,” Gott said. “The transition has been very smooth.”

Last year’s first graduating class finished with 54 of the 55 seniors it began with, he noted.

WKU President Gary Ransdell pointed out the benefits to the state. “First and foremost, this is an economic development strategy for the commonwealth,” he said. Of the first graduating class, 42 of 54 students attended Kentucky colleges, with 25 of them staying at WKU.

Familiarity with the campus and ongoing research are incentives to stay, academy administrators said. Many students conduct research projects, and some are producing published papers, Gott said. Alderdice noted that students have a number of math and science electives they can complete, allowing them to study any field with a science component, from astronomy to agriculture.

Students are chosen for the program in their sophomore year, with applications due in February. Legislators received a tour of the academy and WKU from students, met with academy students from their districts, and received a packet of information, including application materials detailing the rigorous nature of the program and its admission process.

The Gatton Academy will host its first Preview Weekend of the Class of 2011 admissions cycle on Saturday, October 18, 2008, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Events will take place at Schneider Hall on the WKU campus.

Families will meet in the second floor Scheinder Hall student lobby beginning at 9:30 a.m. Sessions will begin at 10 a.m. in the fourth floor common area. Activities for the day will also include campus and hall tours as well as parent and students question-and-answer panels.

Preview Weekends are a wonderful opportunity for prospective applicants and their families to meet with current Academy students and their parents, visit Schneider Hall, and gain a better understanding of student life at the Gatton Academy.

Parking will be available in the lot behind Schneider Hall and Parking Structure 1, which are both accessible from College Heights Blvd. For a WKU campus map, please visit http://www.wku.edu/Tour/campusmap.html.

Please RSVP online at gattonacademy.eventbrite.com or by telephoning 270.745.6565 no later than Thursday, October 16, 2008, at noon.

Additional Preview Weekends are scheduled for November 15, 2008, and January 31, 2009.