Facilities

Students in a study space at the UMass Amherst Henry M. Thomas III Center at Springfield
Students in a study space at the UMass Amherst Henry M. Thomas III Center at Springfield.

The Henry M. Thomas III Center is located in the heart of downtown Springfield in Tower Square. With over 26,000 square feet of floor space and the ability to hold 900 students, faculty, and staff, the center is the first UMass site of its kind in the state. It has:

  • 6 dedicated classrooms equipped for both on-site as well as distance learning
  • 3 dedicated breakout spaces to allow for small-group study or meetings, as well as 2 with the ability to hold video conferences
  • 2 Executive Boardrooms with audio/video display and conferencing abilities (reservations required)
  • 6 dedicated Simulation Laboratories/Classrooms for specialized Nursing and health-care instruction
  • Permanent offices for faculty and staff to use on-site
  • Large Learning Commons and Student Lounge areas that can be combined through the opening of an air wall to create an extra-large function space
  • A Student Break and Copy Room
  • Kitchen for faculty and staff
  • On-site parking garage through Tower Square

 

Technology

The Henry M. Thomas III Center was created with students' future technological needs in mind. While most classes at the center are still taught in person with live instructors, we have the capability for distance learning, teleconferencing, and video-conferencing. We can also handle a host of advanced applications to enhance the learning process through the following:

  • Computer Equipped Classroom
  • Computer Lab
  • Ceiling Mounted Projectors
  • Echo Units
    • Echo 360 is a Lecture Capture System. The system enables faculty to record audio, course visuals, and video for students to review in a digital format. Students are provided with a powerful tool that can be used for review, to supplement materials covered in class, or provide instruction that is entirely web-based and can be downloaded if desired.
  • Lifesize Units
    • Lifesize focuses on replicating face-to-face communications through high-definition videoconferencing often called telepresence. Well-known for its history of innovation, Lifesize was the first videoconferencing company to bring high-definition video communications to market in 2005.
  • Nursing Classrooms
    • Telehealth Lab
    • Health Classrooms
  • Executive Board rooms with Audio-/Videoconferencing
  • Breakout rooms with videoconferencing
  • Student Copy room