The UALR William H. Bowen School of Law has a wonderful facility that needs some changes in order to serve us well for the foreseeable future. On April 26, the contractor and crew began work on improvements to the building. The construction is scheduled to end August 18, 2006, just before new student Orientation. Of course, great care will be taken not to interfere with spring and summer classes, finals, or the bar review. It is impossible to do a project of this size without some inconveniences, but we will make every effort to keep them minor and infrequent.
The warehouse shell on our sixth floor will be transformed to the high standards of the rest of our building. The UALR Law Review will have a new headquarters in the east wing. The west wing, overlooking MacArthur Park, will become the new home for all of our student organizations, with offices for the SBA and Student Competitions (moot court, trial competitions, and any other competitions in which our students participate in the future), and lockers and partitioned office areas for our other student organizations.
The Bookstore, now hiding away on the Second Floor, will relocate to an area on the First Floor next to the Friday Courtroom. Career Services will occupy offices nearby, with a design more suitable for its purposes and to include adequate space for students and employers.
When the Law School Bookstore moves, that space will serve several purposes:
Our library collection is growing and soon will encompass all existing space. To prepare before the emergency arrives, we are installing compact shelving in the basement of the library. There, we will hold needed materials which are rarely used.
As useful as our first floor has been, the windowless hallway feels a little like a cave. This impression will change when the entire length is treated with new permanent flooring, enhanced lighting, and easy-to-follow directional signs for our visitors and students.
Revised: 11/14/2006
