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Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on Academic Complex I


Prescott, Ariz., March 26, 2003 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will break ground for Academic Complex Building I on Friday, April 4, at 4 p.m. at its Prescott, Ariz., campus. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place on the main campus, just south of the King Engineering Center and near the residence halls. The ceremony is open to the public.

Academic Complex I will be a three-story, 46,000-square-foot structure that will house lecture halls, computer laboratories, classrooms and a state-of-the-art meteorology suite complete with a balloon launch room and a weather observation pad on the roof. This impressive building will also encompass 76 faculty offices, deans' suites and conference rooms.

This particular building is extremely important to Embry-Riddle as it will serve as an anchor for the future academic core of the Prescott campus as envisioned in the 2000 Master Plan. Academic Complex I begins the modernization of the campus facilities. As new buildings are constructed, a domino effect will take place with the replacement of older buildings.

The new facility will feature classrooms and laboratories designed for technologically advanced teaching techniques aimed at cooperative, problem-based, web-based and computer-based learning.

Embry-Riddle has included faculty office space within the classroom structure to facilitate student-faculty interaction and to create an academic-community environment.

One of the showcase elements of Academic Complex I is the meteorology suite.

"This complex will make a variety of real-time weather data available for education, research and general interest," said Curtis James, assistant professor of Meteorology. "Weather servers will continuously acquire real-time data and forecasts from across a wide-area network of universities."

The building's design was conceived by DLR Group in Phoenix. The feeling of light and space inside the building is further enhanced by spectacular views of Granite Mountain and distant views of the Bradshaw Mountain Range. The new complex is set to open for Fall 2004 classes.

Prescott Chancellor Dan Carrell said the building signals the dawning of a new age for Embry-Riddle.

"Academic Complex I will embody the pioneering spirit of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with technology at the forefront," Carrell said. "The university and the campus are committed to providing academic excellence to our students. This commitment requires the latest in technology and equipment to give graduates a head start in their careers."

Embry-Riddle, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 25,000 students annually through the master's level at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., at more than 150 teaching centers in the United States and Europe and through distance learning.