A rendering of EKU's planned model lab.
Lexington, KY – Eastern Kentucky University has announced plans for a new $83 million complex that will accommodate both its College of Education and its Model Laboratory School.
The 279,000 square-foot facility to be built on “the corner of Lancaster and the Bypass is the grand entrance to campus and this is our chance to make a very significant — and impactful — statement with this new facility,” EKU President Michael Benson said in unveiling the plans.
Benson stated the importance of having an establishment like the Model Laboratory School, a program that provides education for grades K-12 and aims to train students to one day become successful educators.
“Our roots as an institution are in teacher education,” he said. “Model Lab is the last of its kind in the state and one of the few remaining in the country and continues to be an example of what can be accomplished. This new complex will allow us to prepare the next generation for the rapid changes in the field of education.”
Dr. Verna Lowe, dean of EKU’s College of Education, emphasized the need to have improved resources for educating students to be better teachers. “We need the facilities and the technology to promote critical thinking, problem solving and worldwide collaboration with all of our students,” Lowe said. “As the only laboratory school in the state that spans all grade levels, we are uniquely poised to offer service to not only our own students and the region, but to current teachers from across the state who will need to be ‘re-tooled’ with 21st century skills.”
Though precise details for funding and construction have not been finalized, Benson and Lowe assure that they are committed to the project. The preliminary digital rendering enables them to present their plans to funding sources and stakeholders.
Students at Model Lab will continue to attend class at the Donovan Complex adjacent to the construction site until the new building is complete, while members of the College of Education will remain spread out across several campus buildings.
For more information about the Model Laboratory School visit model.eku.edu.