By Erika Gregory ’19, Staff Writer

The new Heath Professions Pavilion is set to break ground this spring.

Lebanon Valley College is setting a new standard in health professions with its new project. The Health Professions Pavilion will house the existing physical therapy, athletic training and exercise science programs. The college also plans to add speech-language pathology.

“I think the building will improve not only the physical therapy program, but also all of the health science majors,” Anne Lehr, sophomore physical therapy major, said. “It will allow all programs to evolve and change with the dynamic field of health science.”

The new building will be 60,000 square feet, providing hands-on learning and modern technology as well as an ideal setting for experimental learning and innovative research.

Dr. Michael Lehr, Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy, says the building will offer advanced technology to help deliver curricular content, such as laboratory cameras that help capture psychomotor skills.

Lehr said he is most excited about the 2,600 sq. ft. human performance laboratory. The lab will offer state-of-the-art motion analysis equipment that will open opportunities to collaborate with Hershey Medical Center, the clinical community and student facility research.

“The advantage of the LVC program is the reputation the program has,” Lehr said. “The reputation will only be enhanced with the cornerstone of the program being a $20 million facility.”

This new innovative building is not only exciting for professors but is also what students are looking for.

“I hope it offers more hands-on learning that normal classrooms cannot provide,” Lehr said.

The building is being constructed because of a donation from the Arnold family. The $10 million gift is the largest in college history and one of the largest gifts received by any college or university in central Pennsylvania. The college plans to expand that budget to $20 million in order to make the building everything it is expected to be.

Students are eager to use the new building.

“I’m very excited about the new health professions building,” Samantha Lash, a sophomore physical therapy major, said.  “I feel that is a huge step in the right direction.”

The new building is scheduled to open in 2018.