Hobart and William Smith Colleges has begun renovating the first floor of Williams Hall in Geneva to create a permanent home for its Melly Institute for Business, Innovation and Leadership. The college said the project covers about 5,400 square feet and will continue through the academic year.
Construction temporarily closes the sidewalk between Williams Hall and the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts. Pedestrians can use the path south of Williams Hall from the parking area to Pulteney Street, or the route north of the Gearan Center, according to HWS.
Flexible space for classes and career work
The renovation will create a classroom for 12 Bloomberg Terminals, along with areas for classes, workshops, student organizations and visiting professionals. HWS previously announced the terminals, which give students access to real-time market information and tools for researching companies, analyzing securities and building financial models. The renovation provides their planned long-term location.
Glass partitions will let a central gathering area expand for presentations or divide into smaller collaborative spaces. Movable furniture and technology-equipped rooms are intended to accommodate different classes and events. Separate quiet rooms are planned for virtual interviews and remote internships, and digital displays will connect students with speakers elsewhere.
HWS says the institute will offer training and certifications beyond finance, including data analysis, project management, geographic information systems, digital content creation, Excel, Adobe tools, Python, CompTIA A+ and paralegal preparation. The college says those opportunities will be open to students across majors.
Executive Director Pamela Young, who joined HWS this summer, will lead the institute. She previously worked on experiential-learning strategy at Syracuse University.
Historic building gets a new role
The institute was established through a $70 million gift from former trustee chair Thomas Melly and Judith Hershey Melly. Vice President Bob O'Connor said the new space is being designed around the ways students study, collaborate and prepare for work after college.
Williams Hall was built in 1910 as a gymnasium designed by Hobart professor Arthur Nash. It once had a running track above the gym and a basement pool, and it later housed the campus post office, bookstore, IT services and Theatre Department.
HWS said Boston-based Suffolk Design and Suffolk Construction incorporated visual elements of the new Fish Center for the Sciences across the Quad into the Williams Hall plan. The college did not give a specific completion date beyond the academic-year construction schedule.
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