Mills Learning Commons receives project management award

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/pmiaward.jpg” caption=”John Alley, director, Project Management Office, and Vivian Lewis, associate university librarian, teaching, learning and research, were recognized for their work on the Mills Learning Commons project. Photo by Shawn McCann.”]The Mills Learning Commons has been recognized by the Project Management Institute as GovSIG Project of the Year. The PMI is the leading management association for project management with 240,000 members in 160 countries. The award recognizes “the quality, art and practice of project management in governments internationally.”

The creation of the Mills Learning Commons was a complex undertaking combining both physical construction and service transformation.

The project involved approximately 7,000 square feet of renovated space and a vast array of new in-person and virtual services. Completed over a span of approximately three years, work activity and deliverables were held to tight time-lines to ensure that student access to the library was not interrupted.

The project was a partnership between the Centre for Leadership in Learning, the Centre for Student Development, McMaster University Libraries, University Technology Services and Physical Plant.

McMaster students contributed significantly to the project in terms of participation on planning committees to funding.

The award was presented to project manager, Vivian Lewis, associate university librarian, teaching, learning and research, at the PMI North American Congress in Atlanta, Georgia on Oct. 7. John Alley, director, Project Management Office, who served as a consultant on the initiative, was also recognized at the event.

Earlier this year, the Mills Learning Commons project was presented with the Rudy Heinzl Award of Excellence from the McMaster Students Union.