Longwood University has seen progress made with construction around campus, in particular with the new Student Success Center and Upchurch University Center. In addition, both Sharp and Register residence halls have been officially opened and now have students occupying them. Willett Hall, that was once the debate stage on Oct. 4, has also been reopened with the new front entrance design to host basketball games and resume classes in the building.
All of the projects taking place on campus are apart of the 2025 master plan for the university. The 2025 plan can be located on Longwood’s website.
The new Student Success Center will be located between the Greenwood Library and the Lankford Student Union. The Upchurch University will be located in the space that once was occupied by the Cunningham’s Residence Halls in front of Hiner Hall and adjacent to the Lankford Student Union.
The construction for the success center has caused for the closing of one side of the parking garage and has blocked off one of the key paths of traffic known to students. The project is estimated to be complete in the summer of 2017. The completion of the center will allow for the garage to reopen for entry on both sides, as well.
The Student Success Center will be a total of 25,000 square ft. and house a number of resources within its walls. According to Louise Waller, executive director for campus planning and construction, the center will be the new home of the Office of Disability Resources, the Registrar's Office, Center for Academic Success, First Year Experience, LSEM offices, Career and Counseling and the Vice President of Student Enrollment Management and Student Success.
“They are all going to be co-located in one area. So you can almost think about it as a one-stop-shop,” stated Waller.
Once the project is complete, the empty old location that currently holds those offices will be available space for athletes for academic progress that will allow them to achieve their study goal and expectations in the space, according to Waller.
The Upchurch University Center has recently broke ground, after much delay from demolishing the previous residence halls in 2014. The estimated date of completion is said to be in summer of 2018. According to Waller, the construction did not begin immediately because Longwood wanted to make sure that the plans were exactly what they envisioned and that they were up to code with Virginia’s construction codes.
“We really wanted to make sure that the design for this facility was right,” Waller said. “We’ve spent a lot of time with the architectural firm making sure that we’re getting the best design we can.”
According to Waller, when the center is complete it will have facilities for students to gather with their organizations and for other reasons as well. Aramark will host a number of eateries in the center as well including Starbucks, Panda Express, Burger Studio, Au Bon Pain and a Pod Market.
“The students are going to love this facility, it’s going to be amazing and I would put this up against any other university center in the state, this is going to be an incredible building,” said Waller.
