6d. Unit Facilities
1. How adequate are unit facilities- classrooms, faculty offices, library/media center, and school facilities- to support teaching and learning? (Note: Describe facilities on the main campus as well as the facilities at off-campus sites if they exist.)
Millikin University teacher candidates benefit from the integration of facilities for teacher preparation and related academic majors. Millikin’s campus is located on 75 acres in a small metropolitan area of over 100,000 residents in Decatur, Illinois. Located on the west end of Decatur, most District 61 schools and contractual agencies are within 5 miles of the central campus. The School of Education office is located in Shilling Hall. All faculty offices are housed within the SoE suite. A large office suite for adjunct faculty is located adjacent to the SoE suite and provides strong mentoring and support opportunities for adjunct faculty. The Early Childhood and Elementary Education course work is conducted primarily in Shilling Hall classrooms and four classrooms in the Woods building. The Woods building location includes a student teaching video lab which makes it possible to record teacher education candidates preparing for classroom teaching.
Remote site courses in Early Childhood Education are offered at the Parkland College campus in Champaign, IL. and at the Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, IL. Elementary Education is also offered at the Parkland site. At both colleges, faculty have access to office space, media services, photocopying options, and computer access. Millikin established both sites at the request of these colleges, and strong working relationships have been developed. At both sites successful programs have been established.
The secondary education programs share facilities with majors in related disciplines. The Leighty-Tabor Science Center houses labs and research facilities to support Science Education majors with interests in Biology or Chemistry. Science Education students also assist in the display and maintenance of a natural science museum, also located on campus. Music Education facilities are located in the Perkinson School of Music and include a computer aided instruction lab. Art Education majors enjoy the benefits of the Kirkland Fine Arts Center including art studios and art galleries. Social Science Education coursework is primarily completed in Shilling Hall. Physical Education courses are conducted in the Griswold Physical Education Center and the Decatur Indoor Sports Center, which supports physical activity and instructional opportunities related to the major. A capital campaign scheduled to commence in 2009 includes plans for an addition to Griswold creating three new classrooms, faculty offices, a computer lab, an exercise physiology lab and an anatomy and physiology lab.
Staley Library provides 40,000 square feet of study, stacks, and service space on four floors; 350 study seats divided among tables, carrels, sofas, and easy chairs; 14 public computer workstations with campus network printing, Internet access, and productivity software; and six wireless laptops for use within the library. Reference librarians and assistants provide aid to students, faculty, and administrators in the use of online and physical holdings. The Writing Center is located on the second floor of the library, and the Math Center is located on the lower level. Also on the lower level, the Media Arts Center(MAC lab) and Mueller Lab provide space for faculty and students to join in collaborative projects.
Education internships, the junior year block and the student teaching experience enjoy the diverse facilities of the surrounding metropolitan area that features urban, suburban and rural schools. In addition, many Early Childhood majors spend time in local facilities including BabyTALK and the Decatur Day Care Intergenerational Center in Decatur.