The Changing Face of the Lander Campus
A New Dorm, a New Look for the Circle Drive and…Starbucks
Top: Construction is moving along on Lander’s newest student residence hall, as workers labor inside and outside to get the building ready to receive its more than 200 occupants in the days leading up to the start of the fall semester. – Photo by Dave Lorenzatti
By Dave Lorenzatti
Work is nearing completion on Lander’s new $15 million residence hall, located on the former campus softball field, opposite the Joe V. Chandler Center. Randy Bouknight, vice president for Student Affairs, said he expects the university to take ownership of the building from the contractor by July 1. That will be followed by installing furnishings and other details to make the facility ready for the student occupants, who will arrive in late August for the fall semester. The 71,000-square-foot building is the first residence hall built on campus since 2006, when Centennial Hall opened its doors to 300 students. When ground was broken for the newest building, President Daniel Ball said, “Our residential students expect the university to provide them with modern, safe and comfortable housing, and the new residence hall will meet their expectations.” Bouknight noted the 208-bed facility has many features suggested by students when they were asked what they preferred to have included in the building. For example, each room will be occupied by two students and have its own bathroom. There will also
be study areas on each floor and a first-floor laundry room. Bouknight said, when school is not in session, the facility could also be available to members of professional organizations for summer conferences. Jeff Beaver, Lander’s director of Engineering Services and Facilities Operations, said the building design meets requirements for a “Silver” rating in the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. USGBC standards are meant to “lower operating costs of new buildings; conserve energy, water and other resources; and provide healthier environments for occupants.” Lander's Centennial Hall is also LEED-certified. The new facility’s opening will coincide with the closing of Lander’s Brookside residential complex. Brookside was built in the mid-1970s and has outlived its suitability as student living quarters because of its age and the need for costly upgrades. Bouknight said the students who would have been housed at Brookside will be reassigned to the new residence hall and other (continued on page 42) Lander residential sites. Lander Magazine • Spring 2015
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