At a time in life when many college students want to be on their own and can't wait to move into an apartment off campus,
Aquinas College says they've been dealing with waiting lists of upperclassmen who want living spaces on campus.
To help meet some of the demand, the college broke ground yesterday on a $5 million student residence that will bring 14 four-bedroom and four two-bedroom apartments to what has been a
surface parking lot outside the Donnelly Center. The 29,176-square-foot building will accommodate 64 students in furnished apartments. Each apartment will have a kitchen and living room, and a shared bathroom for every two bedrooms.
The building will also offer two large communal lounges, laundry facilities, and will be LEED certified.
"We have 880 students on campus, and that generates a really good feel and energy," says Associate VP for Student Affairs Brian Matzke. "Students want to be here. About 92 percent of the students that live on campus want to stay at Aquinas. They don't transfer to other schools and they don't drop out. That's a 10 percent higher rate than the students who live off campus."
Matzke says Aquinas has worked hard to develop a seven-day campus, meaning there are activities every day of the week on campus to engage students and keep them interested in being there. The campus has converted several buildings to residential spaces in recent years, including the old president's house and The Brown Center, but still had a residential waiting list of 65 upperclassmen over the summer.
Construction:
Rockford Construction
Architect:
ProgressiveAE
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
Renderings courtesy of Aquinas College
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