The new Brooks College of Health building will look a little different this fall, after the installation of a statue, garden and waterfall.

The statue, which will be of a mother and child, was selected by a committee and sculpted by Madeline Wiener, said Pamela Chally, dean of BCOH.

Attempts to reach Wiener were unsuccessful, but according to her Web site she has completed projects for institutions all over the country in California, New Mexico and Virginia, among others. Her other international projects include one sculpture that was made for a medical college in India.

The committee was made up of representatives from administration, Facilities Planning and the art department. The sculpture should help represent the caring and healing aspects of nursing, Chally said.

The surrounding garden and waterfall will complement the statue. There will also be concrete benches installed and palm trees planted.

Junior nursing student Maryann Dutras is enrolled in classes taught inside BCOH and said this project is especially a great idea for students who can step outside of their classes during a break and enjoy it.

Students are currently just using the third floor as a hangout area because of its available space and vicinity, Dutras said.

“There is a student lounge, but it is very small and is only one room,” she said.

Zak Ovadia, director of facilities planning, said the money for this project was set aside from the beginning of the planning stages because according to a state law, the university is required to set aside half of 1 percent of the total cost of the building for artwork.

Ovadia said the project decisions were made between six and seven months ago and that this project would bring a little more sophistication to the front of the building.

Update:

In addition to the BCOH expansion, a covered seating area is in the works for the shuttle bus stop in front of the Library.