Campus Growth
Campus Entrance
Students, guests and visitors now enter campus through a scenic drive that opened in November of 2016. The new central entrance brings you to the heart of the campus before branching off to ample parking near Main Hall to the east and Robert S. Morrison Hall at the west end of campus. New signage greets guests and provides location information and directions, and fresh landscaping and new hardscapes provide a pleasant view along the drive. In conjunction with the new entrance, the Main Hall east and north parking lots were completely resurfaced and redesigned, adding additional green space to the campus and improved ADA accessible parking.
New Student Lounge & Commons
New Student Lounge
Opened in Fall Semester 2014, the Student Lounge caters to student needs with an assortment of couches, chairs, and study tables for use. There are plenty of outlets to plug in devices and a cell phone recharging station. At the entrance to the lounge, there are several computers for student use and outlets and USB charging outlets for students to plug in their own laptops and tablets. In addition, there is a fireplace surrounded by slate for students to enjoy as the season turns colder.
Commons
In addition to the creation of the new student lounge, The Commons received a much needed update to turn it into the central hub of the campus. The update included new furniture, the addition of booths and high-top tables, and plenty of outlets for student use. The new colors help brighten the space and bring in natural elements from the courtyard outside.
Along with the updates to the Commons, the campus dining services providers received brand new kitchen equipment and some new equipment for an expanded menu, along with new wall graphics and menu boards.
North Entrance - Main Hall
A complete reconfiguration of the north entrance of Main Hall resulted in a dynamic entryway featuring a mosaic wall displaying the Kent State Ashtabula along with a unique water feature that lines the walkway from a small waiting area to the new Student Services suite. The suite houses offices and meeting spaces for the offices of admissions, advising, financial aid and the cashier.
Throughout the renovated space in Main Hall, high definition electronic message boards were installed to display important news, upcoming events and major announcements as well as interactive way-finder machines with touch-screen searching for campus maps and class schedules, replacing the bulletin boards of old with a dynamic visual tool.
Click through to see the construction progress from beginning to completion.