Benthack Hall – home of WSC’s family and consumer sciences programs, teacher education programs, and counseling programs – opened with new labs and classrooms in Fall 2021. The renovation has transformed spaces that were once used for industrial technology programs into cutting-edge, state-of-the-art learning environments that include two education labs, a counselor training clinic, and labs for foods, textiles, apparel, and interior design.
Foods Lab
The Foods Lab includes six student kitchen stations and a teacher/guest demonstration area with audio and video presentation capability using three large flat screen monitors above the demonstration unit for audience viewing. Students greatly benefit from working with up-to-date equipment and technology in this setting, as the labs are used to develop culinary and hospitality skills that are part of the Family and Consumer Sciences curriculum, and Foods and Nutrition degree program.
Fashion Merchandising and Interior Design Labs
Labs for textiles, apparel, and interior design are used by students in the Fashion Merchandising degree program and Interior Design degree program. The labs are adjacent to one another and share a collaboration, technology, and presentation area. Because fashion and home furnishings are industries that often overlap, these shared spaces cultivate interdisciplinary approaches to these professions.
The presentation area includes fabric “pin” spaces so fashion and interior design students can work on cross-curricular projects and practice giving formal design presentations. A professionally designed, built-in window display also allows for visual displays and merchandising designed by our students.
The technology area houses computers with major software platforms used in the industry, such as Revit© and Adobe.© The sample room in the interior design lab includes fixtures for varied lighting so students can learn and experiment with color and lighting theory related to textiles.
Dr. Susan Menking Counseling Training Clinic
The new counseling clinic allows students in our Counseling degree programs to perfect their psychotherapeutic practices with clients. This clinic aims to serve our surrounding communities’ needs regarding behavioral and mental health. The full-service training clinic is supervised by licensed professional counselors serving people of all ages, families, and individuals experiencing a variety of diagnoses and treatment needs. The Counseling Department strives to become a leader in producing highly trained clinical providers to serve our rural community starting with the capabilities and functioning of this training facility.
The clinic was named after Dr. Susan ’55 Menking, recognizing her passion for teaching and practicing psychology.
Education Labs
Two new education labs, the Bud and Mitzi McCullough Lab and the Hult Family Learning Lab, are used to instruct students in our Education degree programs and also serve as a site for after-school programs. The McCullough lab is devoted to the study and instruction of English/language arts, reading, writing, and literacy development, while the Hult lab is devoted to the instruction and study of the sciences, mathematics, and technology in education.
Students from surrounding school districts are also able to participate in the after-school programs, which are designed to assist children who are struggling with various topics as well as host educational experiences for children interested in strengthening their understanding of subjects.
The labs were named for WSC alumni and donors who are passionate about education.
