By: Adam Binkley, Senior Coordinator Center for Academic Success (CAS)

If you’ve been on campus here at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) anytime over the last year chances are you’ve noticed a little construction project we’ve got going on. You know, that rather large building that now fills out the skyline—the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering (BSE) building.

On a personal level, I’ve been serenaded by construction sounds from the beginning, watching the BSE materialize right outside my office window.

Well, my office window for one more week.

If you were to step into it today you’d hardly know it belonged to me. Colorful posters and books bursting from shelves? Gone. Instead you’ll find bright blue moving crates packed to the brim and bubble wrap (bubbles mostly un-popped). My desk is still covered in papers and pens, but soon those items will be packed up too.

That big, beautiful building I’ve been watching take shape is about to become my new home, and I couldn’t be more excited for you to be my guest.

In the BSE, you are going to see innovation. You will look into laboratories and open classrooms and see science on display. You’re going to see services on display, too. Three of our campus service centers, the Center for Academic Success (CAS), the Career and Internship Services Center (CISC), and the Center for Counseling and Consultation (CCC), are all moving. CAS and CISC are going to be operational in the new building on October 22. CCC will be open in the Spring semester.

This move brings so much more than a new location, primarily it brings new opportunities for students to be their best at USG.

At CAS, we’re excited to have more space for students to work together. Open workstations, spaces for peer academic leaders, and a STEM study space are waiting for collaborative learning. Our testing center will now be in-house, and we have more space for one-on-one writing support and academic coaching.

Our colleagues at the CISC are looking forward to opening their space up for more engagement between students and employers. CISC’s glass wall opens out, expanding space for receptions and events. Within the center, you will see professional development on display through interview rooms for students and employers to connect.

In the spring, the CCC will be moving out of the library to their new home in the BSE. This location will be more discreet, and there will be space for students to be mindful and meditative. With dedicated areas such as group rooms and a relaxation room, students will be able to decompress and destress.

As for me, I’m looking forward to covering a new desk in papers, pens, and the signs that academic progress is being made. I’m looking forward to helping students set goals and exceed them.

And I’m looking forward to you, making this move with me and helping put services on display at USG.

Don’t worry, I won’t make you carry any boxes.