When OU alumni return to campus, the center could look different with a new Student Life Center.
Ottawa University President Kevin Eichner said this project will take time but will be a place for students.
“Of all the things we’ve worked on, I’m most excited about this,” Eichner said.
The proposed Student Life Center will include renovation of the current student union and an addition to the south of the union. The building will include a new cafeteria, bookstore, library, student lounge, snack bar/coffee shop, outdoor seating and meeting rooms.
Sophomore Margutt Hill said the proposed student center will be good for student moral.
“I believe it will be a positive improvement because the more space you have that brings students together, the more we will socialize with each other,” Hill said.
Eichner said the building is currently being estimated to cost around $10 million to complete. However, the number is subject to fluctuation.
“The longer it takes to raise the money, the price goes up,” he said.
Eichner said they currently have around $1.5 million in pledges from trustees, alumni and friends of the university.
Sophomore Tyler Hazen likes the layout of the proposed building for its functionality.
“I think it’ll be super efficient,” Hazen said. “It will give students the opportunity to get from one place to another easily and utilize the space to their advantage.”
A new library has been at the top of Eichner’s list on Vision 2020; that need will be served in this project.
The proposed library will have group study rooms, several computer stations, digital classrooms and quiet space.
Hill said this will be an improvement from the existing setting.
“The current library is a dark place. If you brighten it up, more students will want to be in there studying. The more space you have, the more room there will be for students,” Hill said.
Another area that will be expanded is the snack bar.
The snack bar in the proposed student center is in the middle of the building and is much bigger than the current space.
Hill said the new area has the potential to be very popular for students.
“It will give us the opportunity to personalize it,” she said. “If we have a more modernized area, it can look more like how the students want it to look.”
Eichner said the project was planned with student growth in mind.
“The Student Life Center will take us through 1,000 plus students,” Eichner said. “It is a beautiful facility and it is functional.”
Hill agrees that this new facility will help the university in the future.
“If Ottawa expands like it wants to, we will need more space for students,” Hill said.
Hazen, an Ottawa native, said it will be interesting to visit after he graduates and returns to a campus that looks different.
“It’s going to be kind of weird but it shows that the university I attended expanded and is successful,” Hazen said.
Eichner said time isn’t set in stone for when the new building will start to be erected but he has hopes for a solid timeline.
“Three years would be ideal to get started building,” he said.