With prospective-student tours well underway on campuses across the nation this fall, colleges and universities are competing for attention in a different way.
New and upgraded facilities are cropping up quickly as a construction boom sweeps higher education institutions.
Fairfield is no exception.
The Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. Center, for example, which was completed in May, consolidated several administrative offices such as the StagCard Office and the Registrar into a central location.
It was placed strategically on the main service road onto campus to be utilized both by current and prospective students.
Speaking about his plans for the future of Fairfield, University President Fr. Jeffrey von Arx said,”A capital or comprehensive campaign would be the outcome of our strategic planning process…we are in the midst of that process and what the funding priorities of the plan will be should emerge from [it].”
The most recent campaign on campus was begun by former president Fr. Aloysius P. Kelley, and was completed in September of 2004 to a tune of $137.9 million, nearly $38 million more than originally intended.
von Arx hopes to do “significantly better than that” for his upcoming campaign. What this would mean in terms of expansion and development on campus is still unclear.
However, he said that one facet of the campaign would be centered on the integration of life and learning, and specifically program delivery and programming spaces in the student residences and other facilities.
The new college construction trend of which Fairfield is a part was recently highlighted by The New York Times in an article that cited state-of-the-art, attractive facilities as an increasingly important factor in students’ college decision process.
Enrollment tends to increase when the economic outlook is uncertain, the article said. This combined with coming-of-age college students means that now is the time to expand.
Economic and demographic trends have recently proved favorable for college and university construction and expansion. Therefore, schools have been expanding at a rate that has not been seen in decades.
Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y. recently began its first-ever $83 million capital campaign to fund two new campus buildings. The Hynes Athletic Center and the Robert V. LaPenta Student Union boast state-of-the-art athletic and recreational facilities.
While there are many obvious advantages to the building boom – some argue more advanced and attractive facilities will attract a better caliber of student – others argue that students will eventually end up paying the price. Literally.
Quinnipiac University recently made plans to double its size with its new 240-acre York Hill campus.
Although the $400 million expansion will likely mean increased tuition for students, officials at the university say it is about “meeting existing demand.”
Whatever the motive, the building boom on campuses is certainly a reality. And according to von Arx, the trick is to stay true to what the University is really about.
“It is, as the Times article indicates, a very competitive market. But at Fairfield, we need to make sure that what we are doing reflects who we are and where we want to go and isn’t just a matter of ‘keeping up with the Joneses.'”
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