This spring, the College of Health and Human Sciences will merge many of its operations into one building: Wirtz Hall.

Divisions of the college presently take up residence in several buildings on campus, mainly Gilbert Hall.

The relocation of the offices and classes from Gilbert to Wirtz will provide new efficiency for the college.

“The college is excited. They’ll be able to consolidate their whole college into one building,” said Pat Bell, planning associate for NIU’s Finance and Facilities.

The move also will be an added convenience for students.

“For the first time, students won’t have to travel from one building to the next to their classrooms or to find their professors,” said Eddie Williams, vice president of Finance and Facilities.

The Family Center also will be moving into Wirtz from its location at 429 Garden Road and will occupy space on the building’s first floor.

In addition to relocation, both facilities will undergo some renovations.

“The Family Center is going to require some slight modifications on the first floor,” said Joe King, assistant director of NIU’s Office of Public Affairs. “Other than that, there’s not much to be done.”

The College of Health and Human Sciences, however, will require more extensive renovation for its move.

Aside from electrical work on the third floor, a new computer lab also will be added.

The lab will “make way for more technological resources for students within the college of Health and Human Sciences,” King said.

And the relocation to Wirtz will alleviate some much needed space at Gilbert Hall.

“The freed-up space at Gilbert will most likely be used as temporary housing for units on campus that are inconvenienced due to other renovations,” Bell said.

The college has been preparing for a move for quite some time.

“We’ve been planning it for about three years now,” Williams said.

The college doesn’t have the funds it needs yet to make any major renovations.

“We have a request in to the state for remodeling funds,” Williams said. “Until we receive word back from the state, only minor renovations will take place.”

For now, the college’s current relocation will be financed through internal resources, Williams added.

“It’s a big musical chairs thing going on.”