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| Vol. 17, No. 35 | June 25, 1998 |
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| Vol. 17, No. 35 | June 25, 1998 |
Gary Simpson, alumni and University relations, stands in front of
the University's new Kent County Center in Dover.
The red brick, contemporary Georgian style building-located on Route 113 just south of the Blue Hen Mall-has a central entryway flanked by two wings that angle forward, toward a landscaped visitors parking area.
David Hollowell, executive vice president, said the University Visiting Committee on Architecture played a significant role in the building's design. "They felt," he said, "that if we were to have a visible presence in Kent County, we should bring some of the Newark campus architecture there and make the building Georgian in appearance."
The entry hall of the Kent County Center
One side of the building houses administrative offices for Cooperative Extension, alumni and University relations and the College of Human Resources, Education and Public Policy, a conference room and an extra office that is used for visiting UD staff.
The opposite wing has two UD classrooms, two classrooms scheduled and coordinated by the state of Delaware, a working kitchen available for demonstration programs and restrooms.
UD's new building also has a 50-space parking lot.
According to Roxane Whittaker, Cooperative Extension, the new site and its excellent location have increased the University's visibility and presence in Kent County. She said the facility also will be able to handle much of the training conducted by Cooperative Extension, ranging from 4-H youth and leader programs to food safety and family/ community-related workshops and seminars.
"With extension having an office in Georgetown and another in Wilmington," she said, "this is a perfect location. It's an ideal site for all Cooperative Extension staff to meet. We're very pleased."
Gary Simpson, University relations, who worked previously in the Dover office on The Green, said. "This building makes sense economically for the University. We were looking for a site to combine our office space rather than rent space at separate sites throughout the area. This beautiful building gives us excellent visibility and presents a positive University image in southern Delaware."
The classroom window (at right) allows a view into the demonstration kitchen.
One of the building's best features, Simpson said, is the ability to lock up the office section at the end of the workday but leave the northern wing-with its classrooms and restrooms available to students and instructors.
"The building has only been open since May 28," Simpson said, "and the classrooms are already being used four nights a week for continuing education courses."
According to Hollowell, the building's central location and its classroom and meeting space make it convenient for a wide range of uses, including in-service programs, continuing education courses and other outreach activities.
Simpson stressed that the University Parallel Program sessions continue to be offered at Delaware Technical and Community College's Terry Campus in Dover.
Photos by Jack Buxbaum
