Two years after Tufts acquired the Lorin Low Dame School building, renovation is well underway to provide office space for several administrative offices now scattered across campus.
"What we're hoping to do is take the non-core academic activities off the top of the Hill and then consolidate the activities that are more related to teaching and research on the Hill," Vice President of Operations John Roberto said.
The school, formerly a public elementary school that Medford declared to be surplus property, is located on George Street behind the Elliott-Pearson building.
Offices to be moved include the University Advancement Division and the University Relations Division, both of which are either currently in Packard Hall or in rented spaces off campus.
The Web Communications, Publications and Photography divisions will also move to the Dame school from their current rented space at 200 Boston Avenue.
Tufts announced at a September 2004 faculty meeting that the university had acquired the Dame School and planned to renovate it for office space, freeing up Packard Hall on the Academic Quad for other use.
If construction continues to run on schedule, the Dame school exterior should be completed by January and the interior by summer 2007.
The move is much anticipated by members of the relocating divisions.
Mary Jeka, the vice president of the University Relations Division, says her team is looking forward to the new office space.
"They will be closer to campus than their current location and will enjoy a more collegial environment with colleagues from the Advancement Division," Jeka said. "The new location will facilitate interaction among the University Relations staff and strengthen our collaboration with the Advancement Division."
Before any departments can be assigned to the available space that will be left in Packard Hall, however, Operations needs to evaluate the space's capabilities and make sure it is consistent with current building codes Roberto said.
"Because it is an existing building that has been there for many decades ... we need to upgrade it and evaluate it to see how it can be more effectively used," he said. "This is taking place now."
Several offices, however, will stay put: Public Relations will remain in Packard Hall after everyone else moves out, and Community Relations will stay at the current Packard Avenue location.
