Westminster College invests in campus improvements

 Westminster College is investing more than $1 million in campus improvements this summer through campus beautification projects, new athletic and student spaces, and various renovations and refreshes.

“We continue to improve our campus facilities so that our students, faculty, staff and guests will have the best experience possible as they live, work or visit the campus,” said Westminster College President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson. “As we invest in our campus, we are also helping fuel the local and state economy.”

Students arriving on campus in the fall will find a new cultural center centrally located on the main level of McKelvey Campus Center. The center supports the College’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. It will offer programming and events and provide safe and collaborative spaces for the campus community.

Setting up the new center will require technology installation, new flooring, paint and furniture. The College has also commissioned Washington, D.C.-based artist Joy Poulard Cruz to create an original mural within the center. Poulard Cruz in an interdisciplinary artist who works in physical, digital and social collage that reflects on intercultural meaning-making.

“The creation of a cultural center is another step forward in becoming increasingly deliberate about centering and affirming minoritized identities,” said Candace Okello, associate dean of student affairs.

Westminster’s Titan Corridor, the home to the College’s athletic facilities, continues to grow this summer with the construction of throwing venues for track and field. Located adjacent to the varsity tennis courts east of Brittain Lake, the dedicated, state-of-the-art throwing area will benefit athletes who participate in javelin, discus and shot put throwing.

“We are very excited for our new throws area to be so much closer to the track, allowing our multi-event athletes and coaches to get from event area to another much more quickly,” said Head Track and Field Coach Tim McNeil. “We look forward to using this facility full time in 2023.”

Westminster Drive, the pine-lined entrance to the campus from state Route 208, will be repaved this summer, providing a smooth entry to visitors entering the east side of campus, including the new baseball field and the newly expanded Hoyt Science Center. Work will occur from the road to the roundabout on campus—about a 400-yard stretch.

The lobby of Eichenauer Hall, which provides housing for around 250 upperclass students, will see fresh paint and updated flooring this summer, while new furniture has been ordered. The apartments in Berlin Village, a community of 25 townhouses for upperclass students, are also in line to be repainted.

Summer improvements to the four-story academic building Thompson-Clark Hall—built in 1893—will include new flooring and updated wall coverings in the School of Business on the third floor and the School of Communication of the fourth floor, as well as along stairs and in common areas. In Old Main, the Office of Institutional Advancement will receive a refresh with new paint and flooring.

Preliminary field research and design work for a footbridge crossing Little Neshannock Creek also continue this summer. The bridge, which will replace the former Zehr Bridge that was dismantled last summer, will serve as a pathway from campus to the Westminster College Field Station.

Rounding out the summer list of general upkeep projects include roof repairs to Memorial Field House, general sidewalk repairs to campus walkways, and tree maintenance. Additionally, Westminster College also continues to invest in cybersecurity initiatives to combat phishing and other types of cyber attacks.

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