The University of Mobile (UM) board of trustees recently approved plans to build an approximately $2.6 million three-story dormitory that will house an additional 102 students, according to UM President Mark Foley.
Construction of the nearly 26,000-square-foot facility will begin this fall, and the building is expected to be ready for the fall 2004 semester.
The trustees authorized the college administration to seek donations and financing for the dormitory project during its meeting April 22. Bay Area Architects Inc. is designing the facility, and the university will take bids in late summer for construction.
Foley said, “The new dormitory will be one of the most visible changes on campus since the renovation of Weaver Hall, our signature building.”
He explained that the new dormitory is part of a master plan to meet significant needs on campus. The college has struggled during the last two years to meet housing needs, facing overflow capacity.
The university’s long-range goal is to have about 75 percent of its undergraduate students living on campus. Current campus housing holds about 400 students, which is about 25 percent of the undergraduate population.
Kim Leousis, vice president for student development, said the move toward an increasingly residential campus is the result of research into what students want from their college experience.
The three-story building will include two dormitory wings connected by a large lobby with sofas, a common area with tables and chairs, an adjoining kitchen and a study room. Each dorm room will house two students and has its own bathroom. Each wing will have its own laundry facilities. An outdoor amphitheater will allow students to gather for events.
The building has architectural elements that will tie it to other building on campus. It will feature columns reflecting the design of Weaver Hall, the first building constructed on campus, and an atrium similar to that featured in the college’s Academic Park.
(UM)
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