Construction on the New Education & Health Sciences Building Continues, Along with Lengthy Delays

Development of the new Education & Health Sciences building between the Lane Center and the Cordts Physical Education Center drags on, despite promises for completion nearly four months ago in the summer of 2022. Announced in August of 2020, Frostburg State University stated that the project was worth almost $80 million and was to open in the Fall of 2022. In the most recent publicly available update released on the university’s Profile Magazine in Fall 2021, the project was slated for an earlier completion in the summer of 2022. As the end of the year approaches, many students and professors are curious about when this “groundbreaking” new building will be completed.

Many of the new features promised by the university on this new structure are major improvements for students and faculty alike. Some of the most popular and fastest-growing majors at Frostburg State will be located in the building: the College of Education, Nursing, Health Sciences, and the Department of Kinesiology are supposed to find new homes here. Located conveniently between the Lane Center and the Cordts Center, two highly trafficked areas by the student-athlete population and the overall student population, the new area would make getting to class easier and travel times around campus much more efficient. 

Since most of the Health Science classes are held at the aging Cordts Physical Education Center, many of them must compete for gym space with athletic teams. “This could allow for easier access to classrooms, since some of the sports teams use the auxiliary gyms for practice, and that’s also where we hold class,” Jackson M., a student in a couple of health science classes provided.  

Not only will several academic programs be housed in the Education & Health Sciences Building, but Brady Health Center and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will be relocated here. These two critical healthcare centers for students and faculty are located on opposite ends of campus, one being in the upper quad and the other in the lower quad near Chesapeake Dining Hall, respectively. The combination of these facilities would allow for more efficient care for students in a renovated and state-of-the-art space.

CAPS should be getting the biggest upgrade, as their current offices are currently located in the basement of Cumberland Hall, which is a foreboding place for individuals to receive psychological treatment. Francesca C., a junior, said that CAPS would be much more accessible in a newly renovated space. “It would allow for more confidentiality to its patients. Walking into the basement of a dorm makes it extremely obvious, and patients aren’t always comfortable sharing with others that they are seeking counseling,” she explained. A shift to a brand new building could even benefit the health of students undergoing therapy. “The location being in a basement, there is little to no light in the counseling rooms which is not good for those with mental health needs,” Francesca continued.

This is not the first time that construction has been behind schedule here at Frostburg State. Brownsville Hall, the newest dormitory on campus, was announced for construction in the spring of 2018, with a scheduled opening sometime in 2020. After delays throughout the year, the building finally opened in the Fall of 2020, which left many students disgruntled. 

Several emails have been sent to the Planning & Construction Management team at the university for an update on the progress and reasoning behind the delays, without any response. 

When the Education & Health Sciences Building finally opens to the student population, the campus will become more centralized, accessible, and modern. This could, potentially, attract a larger application pool in light of dwindling enrollment and create a beneficial area for current students to excel.