August 24, 2007
SELINSGROVE, ( Pa. ) – Susquehanna University begins classes for its 150th academic year on Monday, August 27, with a record number of first-year students. The Class of 2011 is the largest and most diverse in Susquehanna's history with about 600 new students, nearly 12 percent of which are students of color. These milestones mark significant progress towards an ambitious enrollment goal of 2,200 students by the year 2010 and the university's strategic planning initiative of increasing total student of color enrollment to 12 percent.
To prepare for the increased enrollment, Susquehanna University undertook construction of a new two-building residence complex this summer. Located between West Hall and Degenstein Campus Center, the complex accommodates 96 students.
Named West Village, the complex consists of two three-story buildings with suite-style amenities. Each floor of the buildings contains four suites, consisting of two single bedrooms, one double bedroom, a kitchenette, a sitting room and a bathroom. Each suite houses four students for a total of 48 students per building. The lower levels of each building has a mechanical room, a laundry room, an office for resident assistants, a restroom, an open use lounge area, a classroom and storage. West Village will be heated and cooled using geothermal energy from the earth. This system will significantly reduce the expected carbon footprint of the complex.
“West Village is the beginning of a larger campus construction project that will culminate with the completion of a new state-of-the-art science facility in what is now the North Hall parking lot,” explains Susquehanna University President L. Jay Lemons.
Lemons says these and other building projects, including major renovations to the existing Fisher Science Hall to accommodate the growth of programs and departments, are being undertaken in support of enrollment goals that are well within Susquehanna's reach. “Susquehanna's strong tradition of providing students with an experience-based education in a close mentoring environment, coupled with our developing reputation among the top national liberal arts colleges, is bringing more prospective students to our campus each year,” says Lemons.
In addition to construction of new student housing, Bogar Hall was renovated this summer. The project transformed Benjamin Apple Lecture Hall into faculty offices and created larger restrooms on the ground floor of the building. The new office space houses the Department of Religion, Philosophy and Classical Studies, which was located on the second floor of the building. The space vacated by the faculty on the second floor is being transformed into additional classrooms.
Steam lines were also replaced throughout campus this summer to eliminate much of the steam losses that were occurring on campus. Conservation of the steam allows the university to significantly reduce the heating of makeup water that is now used to replace lost steam. This project qualified for a $150,000 Energy Harvest grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in large part because it is expected to reduce the university's burning of fossil fuels in the main boilers by up to 20 percent.
“The summer months provide a prime opportunity to engage in regular maintenance and planned upgrades to the campus master plan,” said Lemons. “The visible results of this work will serve the university for many years to come. This is certainly an exciting time as we develop an environment that will help our students learn and interact in and out of the classroom.”
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Contact: Victoria Kidd
570-372-4119
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