The new CAPA London Study Center opened its doors to students earlier this month. The new center, located at 146-148 Cromwell Road, replaces the facility where CAPA’s London programs have run for the last twelve years.

The actual building consists of two large Victorian townhouses, which have been joined by taking out one of the staircases. The combined staircase opened up the space considerably, allowing for larger classrooms, meeting rooms and offices.

John Christian, CAPA's President, commented that this is a real turning point in CAPA's London Programs, both the faculty-led custom programs and the CAPA London Program, our independent study option with transfer credit from the University of Minnesota. Visiting faculty on our customized programs and our local adjuncts will enjoy the more advanced teaching space and faculty resource center. All of our visiting students will enjoy the upgrade in classroom aids, computing center and learning resources. Finally all students and faculty will enjoy the elegant surroundings of this historic building and area. This was a long term goal and project for the CAPA organization, and we are very excited to have arrived at this point.

The new reception area is one of the most impressive aspects of the building. It is a much larger space, with more seating and a large chandelier, which hangs from the original rosette dating from 1850. Reception also hosts a large, widescreen TV where the staff can highlight My Education (ME) activities, program events and other important announcements.

The center has a total of seven classrooms, a significant increase from the four classrooms at the old center. The largest holds 50 and serves as a lecture theater; the smallest holds 10 in a seminar configuration. Three of the classrooms have a ceiling-mounted projector, which has access to a shared drive, Internet and USB ports for faculty presentations. The projectors also tie into a DVD/VCR player with wall-mounted speakers. The classrooms are named after different London boroughs and are decorated with black-and-white photographs of key sites in each of the boroughs. The classrooms also have a description of the specific borough, highlighting its history, famous sites, and how it contributes to London’s diversity and identity.

On the lower ground floor the facility has a very large resource room, which houses the newly upgraded computer lab and library. The new center has double the computers available to students as well as free wireless access throughout. The lower ground floor also hosts CAPAccino, the student lounge. The lounge has furniture for both relaxing and studying, vending machines and a wide screen TV. It is a pleasant place for students to eat their lunch and get to know each other.

The faculty office has tripled in size and is now both an office and a lounge. The facility will allow both local and visiting professors to interact. The office holds six computers with Internet and printing access, a photocopier, tea-making facilities, and storage cupboards.

In designing the new London Study Center, CAPA aimed to create a school where students, faculty, and staff easily interacted. We hope the design will make faculty and staff easily accessible to students, and that students will further utilize the center as both a place to study and socialize.

During the first week of operation, London Student Councillor Mary Wust (State University of New York) noted “the new building is wonderful. I was in love with it the moment I walked in! The classrooms are much nicer and better equipped, allowing us to use better educational tools. Having everything under one roof is also great and makes it easier on everyone. All in all, I love the new building. Such a great investment!”

Student Council President Joshua Wexler (University of Pittsburgh) echoed these sentiments: “The new CAPA building is a place where we have the option of being together or spreading out. It really has a ‘university’ feeling to it. You can tell from the second you walk into the building that CAPA is a legitimate place of education. I love being in the new building!”

Professor Michael Fosdal, who teaches both Understanding Britain and European Government and Politics, is also enthusiastic about the new Study Center. He remarked that “the new building is a delight to work in; the atmosphere of light and space and the high quality of the surroundings make this a truly excellent location.”