As a new school year begins, Temple University Ambler is updating and adding facilities to provide students their best Temple experience inside and out of the classroom.

Students will return to find that the Ambler Campus Bookstore has moved to the Ambler Campus Learning Center. Diamond General, Temple's new convenience store concept, has taken up residence in the Learning Center Lobby and the Student Success Center is expanding their tutoring support online.

Moving the bookstore will also open space in Bright Hall for a new design-build studio for students in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and other disciplines, according to Dr. Vicki Lewis McGarvey, Vice Provost for University College.

"One of our main goals with our campus facilities is ensuring that they provide the most convenience for our students. The Learning Center is the hub of the campus; it makes sense to have these services readily available for the campus community," said McGarvey. "The bookstore and Diamond General are working in tandem to ensure the maximum hours of availability for our students, faculty, staff and campus visitors. The new design-build studio will, of course, provide a great new academic resource for our students."

Diamond General will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, while the Ambler Campus Bookstore will be open Monday through Thursday, from 2 to 8:30 p.m. The Bookstore will also be open from 12 to 4 p.m. Friday, September 1 during the first week of classes.

According to Michael Scales, Associate Vice President for Business Services at Temple, Diamond General will have a comparable presence and offerings at the Ambler and Main campuses.

"It will feature salads, sandwiches and beverages in addition to regular convenience store offerings," he said. "We believe Diamond General is the ideal concept for Temple Ambler and will offer a lot of variety in a small, environmentally-friendly footprint."

The grand opening for the new Ambler Campus Bookstore, located in Learning Center Room 102, will be Monday, August 28, the first day of the fall 2017 semester, said Jim Hanley, General Manager of Barnes and Noble College Bookstores at Temple.

"I think the major benefit of the move for everyone is that the bookstore is now located in the building where the majority of classes are held. Students, faculty and staff will no longer need to go out of their way to visit the store; we're now in the perfect location for a quick visit on a class break," he said. "We'll continue to provide textbooks for courses offered on campus, Temple clothing and gifts, school supplies, snacks and beverages. The coffee bar will also continue to be available."

The new store hours, Hanley said, were determined "to provide the maximum availability to the most customers while not duplicating the efforts of the new food service operation at Diamond General."

"We're ensuring that our offerings are available when the campus is utilized the most," he said.

Ensuring Student Success

With the bookstore move, the Student Success Center is relocating to one floor above in Learning Center Room 201. The new center hours will be determined by mid-September.

"The Student Success Center at Temple Ambler offers one-on-one tutoring for writers at all levels and one-on-one tutoring for math," said Assistant Vice Provost Dr. Lori Salem, Director of the Temple University Student Success Center and Writing Center. "Both services are available by appointment or on a walk-in basis." 

To make an appointment, students should use the online appointment system at https://www.cla.temple.edu/wconline/. 

"We additionally offer two forms on online support. Students can access writing tutoring via email. With this service, students submit their paper to us online, and they receive a written response from a tutor," Salem said. "Beginning in September 2017, we will also begin offering online tutoring. Students will be able to meet face-to-face with a tutor in an online environment for the first time."

If You (Design) Build It…

Moving the bookstore to the Learning Center has opened up new opportunities to create academic spaces. During the fall semester, the former location of the bookstore will be transformed into a new design-build studio.

"This is really a very exciting prospect as the design-build component is such an important piece of the Landscape Architecture curriculum," said Kate Wingert-Playdon, Associate Dean and Professor of the Division of Architecture and Environmental Design in the Tyler School of Art. "During their third year, it becomes a critical piece of the puzzle in creating Temple' award-winning Philadelphia Flower Show exhibits."

The design-build studio in Bright Hall will provide "a centralized location that gives the programs and the innovative work that they are doing greater viability and a stronger identity and connection with the campus community," Wingert-Playdon said.

"All of the Landscape Architecture and Horticulture courses are offered in close proximity to Bright Hall. It's also near the Library Building, Dixon Hall and Cottage Hall where other studio spaces are located," she said. "Right now, the students' efforts, particularly pertaining to the Flower Show, are dispersed to several locations across campus. Having this primary location that is large enough to do most of the work together will provide for a greater exchange of ideas, team building and collaboration."

Wingert-Playdon said having the new design-build facility will also open up the potential for multi-disciplinary uses and projects.

"Design-build and hands-on learning is an important component of several disciplines at the University,' she said. "I think it makes a lot of sense to explore these opportunities. Getting students together from a variety of disciplines can only enhance their educational experience."