SPJC tries high tech, high art

From computer-filled cafes to a museum, St. Petersburg Junior College's overhaul promises a futuristic feel.

By TERRI D. REEVES

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 5, 2000

Don't be fooled by the 1960s look at the Clearwater campus of St. Petersburg Junior College. Though the exterior is still dated by the period limestone buildings and low, flat roofs, inside the decor is being transformed to something more, shall we say, New Millennium?

There's a new high-tech hangout where you can grab a tutor, a computer or a bite to eat. Two interactive classrooms feature remote-controlled TV cameras and microphones for distance learning programs. In two new lecture halls, a teacher can touch a user-friendly computer screen and select a CD-ROM, VCR or DVD that will play over a state-of-the-art sight and sound system. And a newly renovated auditorium was designed for the drama department, which has moved from the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus.

Next on the agenda? The 35-year-old Crossroads building will be gutted and remodeled to house a new photo lab and graphic arts program. And the aging limestone exteriors are going to be cleaned and resealed.

Expansions are also under way at the Tarpon Springs Center. Construction has begun for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art and the SPJC Art Education Center. The new building also will house a library and museum store.

Coffee, tea or e-mail?

With computers becoming as ubiquitous in classrooms as textbooks, pencils and paper, administrators at SPJC's Clearwater campus didn't want their new cafeteria to be left behind. So when planning the design, they put in a plug for some PCs.

As the fall semester began, the sparkling new Hard Drive Cafe opened with a deli-style menu, booths, couches and easy chairs, a supply of laptop hookups and 14 new computers.

"We did this in response to the students telling us this is what they wanted," said Susan Reiter, director of facility planning for SPJC. "Barnes & Noble was one of the first to put food and books together. We just took it one step further."

Alisa Lorello of Clearwater called the cafe in the Language Arts building "fantastic."

"I love the Art Deco look and it's so convenient, it keeps you on campus. You can eat, drink and do your research all at the same time," she said.

Irina White of Holiday said she was setting up a financial portfolio online during her lunch break.

"The only improvement I can see is that they need more seats because this place is in such demand," she said. The 1,786-square-foot, $300,000 cafe has seating for 55 inside and another 48 at a sidewalk cafe outside.

For 34-year-old George Vricos, college is much different the second time around.

"Back then about all you could do on the computer was play Pong," he said as he munched on a sandwich and surfed the Web looking for sports news.

So what happens if one of those creamy iced coffees spills on a keyboard?

No problem, school officials said.

"The keyboards are only about $20 to replace," said Jeff Davis, associate provost of the Clearwater campus. "Why deny hundreds the opportunity to use a computer because of the chance that one may occasionally get damaged?"

Help seven days a week

The Language Arts building, which recently underwent a $4.4-million interior renovation, now houses 17 classrooms, 30 offices and a walk-in Learning Support Center.

"Every classroom now has a computer linked to a state-of-the-art projection system," said Mary Gaier, program director for Communications and the Learning Support Center. "Everything is designed to be user-friendly for the students as well as the instructors."

The Learning Support Center is open seven days a week and provides free tutoring and academic assistance for all students. Students may also use any of the 100 new computers loaded with the latest software.

A dramatic addition

A $7.7-million building, the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art and SPJC Art Education Center, is scheduled to open at the Tarpon Springs campus by August 2001. The museum will feature an up-close view of works from important 20th century artists.

The two-story, 57,245-square-foot building will be unique, said Mark Russell, project coordinator of facilities planning for SPJC.

"It will be built on a hill overlooking a lake," he said. "It will have a very unique, highly pitched roofline with a modernistic look."

The building will house the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, the SPJC's Art Education Center, the Tarpon Springs Center's Michael M. Bennett Library and a museum store. There will also bethree art studios and a gallery to display artwork of SPJC students.

"I think it will be the most dramatic addition to our campus," Provost Nick Billiris said. "It provides us the opportunity to broaden our academic programs to include the arts and the opportunity to reach out to the community with world-class art and special learning programs."

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