Interior design students take part in Loper Designer's Challenge |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Apr 22 2009 at 12:54 PM |
Photo by Laura Schemper
(Left to right) Kelli Dring, a senior from Kearney, Abbie Sazama, a junior from St. Paul, Dr Phyllis Markussen, Annie Moyer, a junior from Lincoln and Lyndsay Morgan, a junior from Ogallala, pose in JoAnna Cordova's redesigned office. All students are majoring in interior design.
By Leah Petersen
Antelope Staff
Interior design students recently got hands-on experience in a campus remodel project.
The Professional Development Committee of Staff Senate selected JoAnna Cordova, director of the Child Development Center, to have her office redesigned and remodeled by the interior design junior class as a part of Loper Designer's Challenge.
Loper Designer's Challenge began in 2004 when it was first named "Loper Makeover" as the Staff Senate caught the reality TV bug. The group came up with the idea to bring reality TV to campus and have a competition each school year between staff members who wanted a redesigned office. Loper Makeover became Loper Designer's Challenge two years ago.
"This is such a group effort. There are so many people who need to be thanked," said Dee Ellingson, office associate for the psychology department and chair of the Professional Development Committee of Staff Senate.
After the Staff Senate sends out advertisements in the fall, interested staff members submit applications and office pictures and the Staff Senate sends their choice to Dr. Phyllis Markussen, family studies and interior design department chair.
Markussen uses the design opportunity as the first project for her junior class interior design students. Students work in groups to create designs on a $3,000 budget. After a design is chosen, the process is turned over to facilities to complete the project.
"I think the students themselves are so excited to do this. This is the only university in Nebraska that I know of that gives students hands-on experience," Ellingson said.
"They have to take a project in a very short amount of time all the way through all of the interior design phases, within a budget," Markussen said.
Kelli Dring, Abbie Sazama, Annie Moyer and Lindsay Morgan were chosen as the group to design Cordova's office. The group spent the allotted two weeks to design and present the project.
After being chosen, the group was to execute their design efficiently for completion of the project.
"Part of the learning is the surprise, and how to quickly solve the problem with critical thinking. That's how the real world is," Markussen said.
An open house reception was held on April 14 for the campus to celebrate the finalization of the Loper Designer's Challenge process. All of the design options were displayed along with the design that Cordova chose. With about 50 visitors in attendance, Cordova's office was opened for the public to see the students' efforts.
"The finished product always involves a long, but quick, process. These students have worked so hard and have done so well," Markussen said.
"The overall appearance of the office just makes my office look like there is so much more room," Cordova said.
Looking at the end result, Cordova is pleased with the outcome. "I love all of the extra storage space. Before I had bookshelves upon bookshelves, and whenever I got something new I had to buy another bookshelf."
