to
Address
Increased Undergraduate Enrollment and Student Retention
Increased Undergraduate Enrollment and Student Retention
Chester, Pa.—Widener University will
break ground this summer on a new 200-bed residence hall at 15th and
Potter Streets in Chester to address growing housing needs on campus due to
increases in undergraduate enrollment and student retention.
The new residence hall will include
food service on the first floor, and classrooms for a living/learning community
model. The estimated cost of the new residence hall is $21 million.
Last fall, Widener welcomed 827
freshmen to campus, the university’s largest ever incoming class, and had a
four percent increase in retention of students from the freshman to sophomore
year.
“We have introduced new majors, made
a strong commitment to increasing financial aid and invested more than $150
million in infrastructure over the past decade,” said Widener President James
T. Harris III. “All of these factors, and other initiatives, have led to an
increase in undergraduate student enrollment and retention and the demand for
more student housing. It’s an exciting time to be at Widener.”
The residence hall is being designed
by Kimmel-Bogrette Architecture + Site of Conshohocken, Pa., and will be built
according to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards by
IMC Construction of Malvern, Pa.
The new residence hall will be built
at the location of the former Immanuel Baptist Church, which was acquired by Widener
in 1992 and served as the home of Theatre Widener until the building was
demolished in 2013. Following its completion in fall 2015, the university will
demolish Widener Courts which were built in 1970 and acquired by Widener in
1977. The two buildings, which currently house about 70 students, are located
behind the selected location of the new residence hall at 15th and
Walnut Streets.
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