DANBURY — After more than a year of renovation, Higgins Hall at Western Connecticut State University is again open to students, and the campus will celebrate with an open house hosted by the Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019.
New labs, classrooms, a state-of-the-art television production facility, as well as a lobby and new entrance patio will all be on view with tours throughout the building continuing until 8 p.m. Visitors will meet at the Higgins entrance on the Midtown campus quadrangle, 181 White St. in Danbury.
Higgins Hall, named after Lathrop Higgins, who was the first science teacher and the second principal of the Danbury Normal School (the predecessor to WCSU), opened in 1951. Two additions were added over the years and the entire structure was taken down to bare bones and rebuilt in time to reopen for the Fall 2019 semester.
Dr. Michelle Brown, the dean of the Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences, will work from her office on the first floor and the building will house World Languages, Writing (including the Master of Fine Arts in Writing), Math, Computer Science and Communication.
“I am excited about moving into Higgins because it brings together so many different people, ideas and historical technologies — all under one roof in the center of Midtown,” Brown said. “I am so pleased that my office is located right in the center of it all! In our new central location, with the building housing all Macricostas departments, Higgins is literally and symbolically the home of the diverse ideas and liberal arts curriculum that exemplify WCSU.”
Learning spaces in the building are designed to be flexible so that students can study individually or in groups, with the proper technology within easy reach to nurture cooperation and support.
“There’s a sense of lightness, vitality and vibrancy in the building,” said Luigi Marcone, the associate vice president for campus planning who supervised the work that turned the old building into a showcase. “No matter what hallway or office you’re in, I think it’s something students will love.”
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, call the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.
Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.