[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/heinzl_award.jpg” caption=”First row, left to right: Heather Grigg (UTS), Mary Ruth Linkert (Library) and Anne Plessl (Library). Second row: Vivian Lewis (Library), Erika Kustra (CLL), John Alley (UTS), George Hough (Faculty), Michael Curwin (UTS), Paul Otto (Library) and Barbara McDonald (Library). Missing: Desmond Pouyat, Peter Walsh (CSD), Brian MacDougall (Physical Plant), Stephanie Murray (MSU) and Michael Potter (GSA). Photo by Ron Scheffler.”]The Mills Learning Commons Project is the 2007 recipient of the McMaster Students Union's Rudy Heinzl Award of Excellence, which recognizes an outstanding one-year achievement that improves the lives of McMaster students.

In presenting the award at the MSU's Student Recognition Night, Heinzl remarked: “People in this room know that the learning experience at McMaster has many facets beyond the classroom. It includes labs, tutorials, extra-curricular activities and self-directed learning that leads to many hours in our libraries. This year's award recipients have made an outstanding contribution to enriching the student experience in self-directed learning.”

The Mills Learning Commons opened last October and has become the most popular and busiest area in Mills. It is an active, student-centred learning space that integrates traditional and emerging scholarly resources, information technology, expert help and collaborative and individual study space.

Planning for the Project first began in December 2003, and when final approval was received by the Board of Governors in June 2005, implementation teams were established to guide the project through completion.

The initiative brought together staff from the Library, University Technology Services, Centre for Student Development and Centre for Leadership in Learning, as well as representatives from the MSU, the GSA and faculty in a joint effort to offer combined services in the Learning Commons with input from both students and faculty.