Five rooms on the third floor of Sturm have been remodeled to house the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences’ (AHSS) Liberal Arts Advantage (LAA) program. The remodeling was financed by AHSS in order to provide a space for the LAA program and is almost completed.

The LAA program was launched in Fall Quarter 2012 and is designed to help students understand and value a liberal arts education by promoting intellectual experiences outside the classroom, including lectures, workshops, an advisory council and a mentorship program. Any AHSS students can participate.

AHSS Director of Community Relations and Communication Kristen Altman said that while there was no formal construction, the rooms spanning 302 A-E were painted and bookcases, display stands and materials were added.

According to LAA Coordinator Nicholas Bowlby, the new suite includes two smaller meeting spaces and a larger conference room that can be made available for other DU student groups and organizations to meet. The space houses the offices of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Ginni Ishimatsu, as well as Bowlby’s office.

“The Liberal Arts Advantage space is important to students in AHSS as it provides a location, within a building where a significant amount of their time is spent, where they can obtain needed materials [information pamphlets] and advice relating to career preparation and advising,” said Bowlby.

Bowlby said that the LAA location was decided upon because of the different rooms included within the suite.
“There was not a similar space in the building that would be able to be utilized for our current needs while also having the ability to grow as the Liberal Arts Advantage program grows,” said Bowlby. “The third floor is also a high traffic area which also provides exposure for the program.”

Altman said that these meeting spaces have also allowed the LAA program to invite Career Services to hold appointments with AHSS students within Sturm.

“This is important as it provides more exposure to the resources available to them and increases the likelihood that they will have the time to schedule an appointment within their already busy schedules,” said Bowlby.

Both Altman and Bowlby said that students have already taken advantage of this space. For example, the AHSS Student Advisory Council holds its weekly meetings in the conference room and multiple appointments between AHSS students and a Career Services counselor take place each week.

According to Altman, last week’s “AHSS Week” of events — which included alumni speakers and morning donuts and coffee at the LAA suite — also brought more students to the new location.

Bowlby mentioned the location on the third floor also provides the needed room for the LAA to display a large variety of materials that students can take with them relating to career preparation and possible careers within their major.

“These materials highlight great opportunities available to the DU student body, geared at developing students’ competence in marketing themselves for professional jobs,” said Altman.

Students interested in reserving the conference room at the LAA suite, or learning more about the LAA program can contact Bowlby directly via email at nicholas.bowlby@du.edu.