By Alicia Gotschall, Contributor
While they may attend classes, do their homework and study with classmates there, few students know Roskens Hall’s history.
“Sadly, I don’t know anything about Roskens Hall,” said Jenny Christen, an elementary education major.
On Oct. 9, 1973, university officials broke ground on a $3.7 million project for a new building. Roskens Hall was temporarily called the “Classroom Office.” Later, the building would be known as the College of Business Administration.
Roskens Hall was said to be a state-of-the-art building at its completion in 1975. The building was named after Ronald Roskens, whose legacy of service to UNO made a huge impact on the university.
He was UNO’s chancellor from 1972 to 1977, then became the University of Nebraska’s president from 1977 to 1989, when he retired.
The $3.7 million project seems small when compared to the recent $13 million renovation.
The renovation of Roskens Hall during summer 2011 was carried out to create a home for the College of Education.
This renovation was the largest ever at the university, said Nancy Edick, College of Education dean. The $13 million came from private donations as no tax dollars were used, she said.
The new Roskens Hall was designed to cater to “twenty-first century learning styles,” Edick said.
Shelby Oelke said she is a fan. “I like how they are up to date with smart boards and television screens in the classrooms and study areas. …It’s very helpful,” the library science and elementary education major said.
