Aug. 24, 2020
The University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) has spent the past four months ensuring a safe return for its faculty, staff and students.
In order to accommodate as many in-person classes as possible, the academic operations team turned to some unlikely spaces: An old livestock arena, a machinery room and Eckles Café.
The Trowbridge arena — which was already in the process of being converted to an events center — can now safely seat 200 socially distanced students in the show section and an additional 120 students in the sales arena. To date, 27 classes have been moved to the new space.
In addition, a repurposed room that used to hold large machinery will now safely seat 50 students, and the space that was formerly Eckles Café can accommodate up to 35 students.
All learning spaces have designated entrance and exit routes and are ADA compliant.
“This is an unprecedented time, not only for the University of Missouri but for colleges and universities across the globe,” said Bryan Garton, senior associate dean and director of academic programs. “I’m incredibly proud of our academic operations team and the work they did to prepare us for the upcoming academic year. Their willingness and ability to work together, with the students’ best interests in mind, was critical.”
