Designing The First Year Experience

The First‐Year Experience 1

A Compelling Case: Upgraded Student Housing At Converse A Unique Opportunity To: • • • • • • •

Recruit & retain excellent students Preserve a historic campus building Reduce deferred maintenance Repair system inefficiencies Enhance community & creativity Leverage low cost of capital Increase revenues

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Why Pell?

• Pell Residence Hall is one of the oldest buildings at Converse. It is one of the most beloved spaces on campus.

• Although minimal renovations were undertaken in 1941 and again in 1960, Pell suffers from extensive deferred maintenance.

• The current state of Pell is a stark contrast to the state‐of‐the art apartments on back campus and college housing at competitor institutions.

• What was once a Converse treasure is now woefully inadequate housing for students.

• The window of opportunity to impact recruitment for fall 2012 demands immediate action.

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Current State of Pell 4

A Critical Transition: The Converse First‐Year Experience historic Social

social cutting edge

indoors outdoors

fun

traditions

sisterhood comfortable

community

collegiate

modern 5

The Converse First‐Year Experience • Promote Staying Power – Students today decide within 6 weeks whether to stay or transfer.

– Guide students through stages of college assimilation: separation, transition, inclusion.

• Provide a distinctive collegiate experience in an historic setting with modern amenities.

– Reconfigure common spaces to strengthen community.

• Place first‐year students at campus center in an environment that encourages them to discover, together, what Converse offers intellectually, socially and culturally.

– Integrate academic and social spaces to reinforce relationships outside the classroom.

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Aerial View of Project Rendering • This view of the project site illustrates the transformation of the area connecting Wilson Hall, Pell and Dexter with a dining terrace for the campus community and a “First‐Year Commons.”

• The beauty of Gwathmey Garden will be extended into a sculpture garden connecting Montgomery Student Center, Wilson, Pell and Dexter.

• Walkways and green spaces will be expanded, facilitating the merger of indoor and outdoor living spaces.

• Pell and Dexter will have main entries with covered porches from a shared courtyard, connecting the two freshman halls in a dramatically different manner than exists today.

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Gee

Gwathmey garden

back lawn

dining terrace

Wilson Montgomery

promenade town house

sculpture garden

Pell

first‐year commons Dexter terrace

private apartment entrance

main entry/ porch

Dexter

courtyard

main entry

The First‐Year Experience 8

The Current Landscape 9

The New Dining Terrace 10

The Current Landscape 11

New Main Entrances for Pell and Dexter New Garden Terrace

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Small‐Scale Communities

• Expanded corridors • New opportunities to customize spaces each year through casual seating, photo boards, memo boards • Distinct neighborhoods that enhance sisterhood

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First Floor

• 1 living community • 8 single and double occupancy rooms • Media/game room • Pell main entrance and community room • 2 bathrooms • Elevator lobby

Pell Renovation – First Floor 14

Second Floor

• 2 living communities • 11 single, double and triple occupancy rooms • Living room • Sitting area • Bottom floor of Pell Atrium with kitchen/ recreational area • 2 bathrooms

Pell Renovation – Second Floor 15

Third Floor

• 2 living communities • 11 single, double and triple occupancy rooms • Seminar room • 1 elevator lobby • 2 bathrooms

Pell Renovation – Third Floor 16

Fourth Floor (Pell and Wilson)

• 3 living communities • 16 single, double and triple occupancy rooms • Study room • 2 living rooms • Graduate assistant studio apartment • Elevator lobby • 3 bathrooms

Pell Renovation – Fourth Floor 17

General Assumptions • LEED Certification • Project Size – Pell ‐ 25,350 square feet; increase in beds from 44 to 92 – Dexter ‐ 28,646 square feet; increase in beds from 79 to 88

• Increased Efficiency – Pell ‐ reduction from 576 to 276 square feet per bed – Dexter ‐ reduction from 363 to 326 square feet per bed

• Revenues – $3,055 per semester rate per double (FY ’12‐’13); 6% annual housing inflation rate – $980 per bed additional diversified income (IT, summer, etc.) (FY ’12‐’13)

• Expenses – $5.25 per square foot operating costs (FY ’12‐’13); 3% annual expense inflation rate – 3.77% interest rate for 25 year debt

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Design & Construction Budget

Timeline for Pell Renovation ‐ $6.7 million in commitments needed in order to begin construction Construction Launch Fall 2011

Opening 2012‐2013 Academic Year

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