UAB Briefs: DoubleTree renovations, campus construction, new SOPH dean
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs.
In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
BIG CHANGES AT THE DOUBLETREE
The DoubleTree by Hilton Birmingham, located at 808 20th St. S., will soon be rebranded as the Hilton Birmingham at UAB, according to a news release from the hotel.
The facility, which UAB purchased in 2016, is also in the midst of a $20 million renovation, which includes the guest rooms, the lobby and other public spaces, the restaurant and the conference facilities.
“The renovations are strategically planned to reinforce our commitment to hospitality and create as little disruption, to our guests, as possible,” said Lisa Castagna, the hotel’s general manager, in the news release.
-- Guest room renovations are currently ongoing with expected completion in September, the release states.
-- Lobby renovations begin in June with expected completion in September.
-- Pool and terrace renovations begin in July with expected completion in October.
-- Conference facilities renovations will be spread across several months and completed around space availability.
-- Restaurant construction begins in July with expected completion in October.
In addition, UAB Media Relations told Iron City Ink in March that some improvements to the parking garage and the facade were complete.
The University already owned the land.
The facility is used often for meetings and conferences hosted by various departments.
“There is a demand among UAB constituencies for the services and amenities a hotel can offer, and it is our desire to make sure we support their success by meeting their needs through this opportunity,” Jodie Mote, Educational Foundation treasurer and controller, told Iron City Ink at the time of the purchase.
UAB hired Pyramid Hotel Group, based in Boston, to manage the hotel.
OTHER CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION
The following are updates supplied by UAB Media Relations regarding some of the other building projects currently underway on campus:
-- The $37.5 million UAB Collat School of Business on University Boulevard between 12th and 13th Streets South should be complete In July, with a grand opening scheduled for Aug 24. At press time, the construction was more than 90 percent complete, and finishes were underway.
-- The $32 million expansion and renovation of the UAB School of Nursing on University Boulevard is about 85 percent complete and should be finished in July. Paint, flooring and ceiling work, as well as mechanical and electrical above-ceiling work, is ongoing.
-- The College of Arts and Sciences Building at UAB is 25 percent complete, with a projected completion date of spring 2019. At press time, work was underway on the building’s concrete structure and site utilities. The $39.5 million, 160,000-square-foot facility is located at 10th Avenue and 14th Street South.
-- The new $3 million, 12,800-square-foot UAB ROTC training facility at 828 Eighth Court S. should be complete in fall 2018. At press time, site grading was complete, and work was underway on foundations and site utilities.
-- Work on the new UAB Intramural Fields at 1100 Fifth Ave. S. is about 60 percent complete, with a grand opening scheduled for Aug 30. The drainage system is installed, and the pavilion is nearing completion. Crews will lay sod in May.
NEW DEAN
UAB announced May 15 that the new dean of the School of Public Health will be Dr. Paul Campbell Erwin, currently a professor and the head of the Department of Public Health at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Erwin earned his medical degree at UAB School of Medicine.
His first day at UAB will be Aug. 1, and he will succeed Dr. Peter Ginter, who served as interim dean, according to a university news release.
“I can give many reasons for my interest in the UAB School of Public Health,” Erwin said. “Chief among those reasons are UAB’s reach — from bench science to communities across the state, the South and the world; its reputation – because of the accomplishments of stellar faculty, staff and students; and its familiarity — a place known and comfortable to me.”
Erwin earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of the South, a master’s in public health from John Hopkins University and a doctorate in public health from the University of North Carolina.
He is certified in internal medicine, public health and preventive medicine, and a leader in establishing formal academic health department collaboratives with public health practice partners.
Erwin’s research interests include evidence-based public health and health disparities, particularly in rural areas.