If you plan to be on campus anytime soon, you'll notice that cranes have invaded our park-like grounds. No, not the bird, although our visiting blue heron would probably welcome more company. These cranes have booms, not necks, and are used for large
construction jobs.
The College has embarked on an aggressive physical plant expansion program designed to meet the needs of a board-approved enrollment cap of 2,150 undergraduates. The timing of this expansion is in direct response to the College's increase in both the quantity and quality of its recent incoming freshman classes. The College also anticipates capitalizing on demographics that show a slow but steady increase in the number of graduating high school seniors in most of its market areas over the next eight to ten years.
The first phase of construction, now underway, includes two new residence halls, seven classrooms and art studios, additional administrative offices, and a renovation and refurbishing of the Junction.
"All of these construction projects are in direct response to the College's commitment to fostering an intellectual, social, and spiritual community where faculty, current in their scholarship, encourage students to ask the broadest questions at the deepest levels," said Dr. Thomas R. Plough, president of Assumption College.
The two new residence halls, located behind the Living/Learning Center, will include 16 six-person apartments, with each building accommodating about 100 students. The 31,500 square-foot buildings will be three stories high. Each apartment unit will include two double rooms, two single rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. There will be one handicapped accessible apartment in each building. Both buildings will be wired for cable and Internet access. The architect and builder for this project is Cutler Associates of Worcester. Completion is scheduled for August. A third residence hall has been included in the design work, but will not be built during this first phase.
Seven new classrooms, including art studios, will be added on to the backside of the Laska Gymnasium. The project will add an additional 11,400 square feet to the building. The architect for this project is Nault Architects of Worcester, and the builder is again Cutler Associates. Construction will be completed for the fall semester. As part of the College's master plan, these classrooms will eventually serve as office space for the Athletics Department, whose current space in the basement of Laska will revert back to badly needed locker-room space.
Renovations for the Hagan Campus Center will focus on the Junction snack bar area where space will be redesigned to better accommodate student/staff casual dining and social needs. In addition, a much-needed new glass entrance will lead directly into the Junction, bypassing the less desirable "dumpster" entrance. A patio will also enhance the new entrance. The architect is Janovsky-Hurley Architects of Lexington, MA, and the builder is yet to be announced. Construction is expected to be completed in late summer.
The Office of Institutional Advancement, which includes Alumni Relations, the Development Office, and the Annual Fund, will move to the Bishop Wright Wing of the Taylor Dining Hall where Student Health Services is currently located. This move to the front of the campus will help better serve alumni and benefactors. The architect for these renovations is also Janovsky-Hurley and the builder is yet to be announced. Construction is expected to be completed by early fall.
As part of the second phase, plans are underway for a 60,000 square-foot Science and Technology Center. The facility will contain classrooms, 10 teaching labs and 3,000 square feet of research space for the Biology, Chemistry and Physics Departments as well as the College's University Transportation Center. Faculty offices, lab support, and a small-animal facility will also be housed in the building. The architectural firm of Einhorn, Yaffee & Prescott of Boston is currently in the programming and design phase for this project. The tentative schedule has construction running from March 2001 through August 2002.