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5.02.08 | State-of-the-Art Education Center to be built on UM Campus
Generations of children will be the beneficiaries of a state-of-the-art teacher education center to be constructed on The University of Montana campus. UM School of Education Dean Roberta Evans announced Friday during a groundbreaking ceremony that the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation has committed a total of $10 million to complete the new education center. The gift is the largest in the University's 115-year history.
The Phyllis J. Washington Education Center – the first of its kind in the nation – will house programs and 21st-century technology in a dedicated learning environment that will attract the best and brightest students to the teaching profession, Evans said. The Washington Foundation's earlier $3 million pledge to the project was increased Friday with the announcement of an additional $7 million gift.
"It's about more than a building, it's about building better education," Phyllis Washington said. "The future of education is now. This additional boost will allow construction to begin immediately in order to have the facility ready for students in the fall of 2009. This facility will make Montana a national leader in teacher education."
UM President George Dennison said, "Dennis and Phyllis recognized the urgent need to reach out to all parts of the state so that all kids reach their full potential."
The Education Center will serve as a model for education nationwide, he added. Built entirely with private funding, the 27,000-square-foot center is expected to begin this spring.
Highlights of the facility will be the Early Childhood Modeling Center, which will offer indoor and outdoor classrooms and learning spaces; high-tech classrooms and distance-learning studios; and classrooms specifically designed to teach math and science instructional methods. The Learning and Belonging Preschool space will be located in the building.
A distinct benefit to Montana educators and school districts will be the availability of continuing education courses through distance learning, using Internet and video technology to save school districts travel time and expenses, Evans said. The center will allow UM's education school faculty to prepare Montana's teachers to teach in the Information Age.
"Both emerging teachers and 20-year veterans must be fluent in current techniques and technology to do their jobs and meet our state's – and our nation's – education goals," Evans said.
"The Phyllis J. Washington Education Center also will provide a physical and programmatic environment for attracting, training and preparing the best and most effective teachers, counselors and school administrators in the United States," Evans said. "The center is a building that invites you to walk into it and learn forever."
A 1964 UM School of Education graduate, Phyllis Washington taught elementary school in Missoula for years, Dennison noted.
"Phyllis Washington's passion for education and teaching has long been demonstrated in the couple's philanthropy," Dennison said. "We are delighted to have a former student return to honor the University and the School of Education in this way."
Dennis Washington said, "I am proud to support a project that embodies one of the greatest passions of Phyllis and myself, because we know that education is the single greatest determinant in the success of individuals and society."
The Washingtons' contributions to UM over the past two decades include significant gifts to projects such as Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the Prescott House, the Gallagher Business Building and the Montana Island Lodge at Salmon Lake, as well as a substantial investment in student scholarship programs.
