'Wet' lab brings new opportunities to University of Akron regional campus

LAFAYETTE TWP.— Students at the Medina County University Center, a University of Akron extension, will soon have more educational opportunities open to them with the construction of a new dual biology and chemistry lab. With the current construction project, students will be able to complete their first two years of study at the regional academic center. This is part of the institution's work to make education more accessible to residents in Medina and Wayne counties while reducing the cost of higher education. Regional campus tuition (the academic centers carry the same rate) is a little more than $6,000 per academic school year for full-time students, compared to more than $11,000 annually on the main campus. "One of the things that the campus has been without is a 'wet' lab, so we could offer the natural science lab courses up at that campus," interim dean Jarrod Tudor said in a statement. "You go back about 11 years ago when the campus was built. Unfortunately, it was built without a wet lab but at the time, those that put the campus together didn't see the need for it but there's clearly a need." A wet lab is where various types of chemicals and other potentially "wet" hazards can be handled. Construction started late this summer and the lab will be up and running in January, just in time for spring semester. A lab science is a requirement for University of Akron students and, until now, students would either have to drive out to the main Akron or Orville campuses. Now, it will be easier for Medina students to meet this requirement. "Once we get the wet lab up and running, we will be able to offer the first two years of just about every program at the Medina campus," Tudor said. The lab will be able to accommodate 16 students at a time. It will serve students taking courses such as fundamentals of chemistry and natural science biology. "What's held us back a little bit in Medina is the fact that we did not have that lab," Tudor said. Providing this facility for students at the Medina campus is an important step in helping university students as regional campuses play an important role in higher education, Tudor said. "We start things, more or less," he said. "Students can start here and finish, perhaps, at the main campus or they can start, and with some degree programs, finish at the regional campuses. This has really been kind of a concentrated effort by all state universities in Ohio that have regional campuses to always have that place for students to start and, when it makes sense, have students finish." Starting this fall, the University of Akron Wayne College expanded its four-year degree offerings to include degrees in early childhood education, communication, business and nursing. These degrees are offered entirely on the Wayne College campus. The programs are designed for new freshmen and will build as the first cohorts of students move through the programs. "The four-year programs offered at Wayne College will provide area employers with the skills needed for today's workforce," Tudor said in a statement. "The degrees also fulfill the need to provide affordable, accessible four-year educational opportunities to those living in our service area." Contact reporter Alyssa Alfano at (330) 721-4063 or aalfano@medina-gazette.com.