Centre College Renovations Include Eco-Friendly Buildings
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Centre College, recognized as one of the nation’s best liberal arts colleges, is finishing a $100 million renovation and expansion that has transformed its campus with beautiful new buildings – structures that also pay homage to the college’s 190-year-old history.
“We’re actually taking it back to what it was – a return to Classical architecture,” says Centre College President John Roush. “It’s a rebirth of the college’s true form and style. The curb appeal of this college will stand up to anything in America.”
The rebirth is happening thanks to generous donors and an industrious board of directors that raised $170 million in a five-year capital campaign – $50 million over goal, with $45 million coming from trustees alone.
That Trustee Challenge raised money to expand and renovate the academic and fitness buildings that make up The College Centre, as well as to fund a new LEED-certified residence for students, a new student center, a facelift for the arts center and a major science building expansion.
“We behave like a college with twice our [$200 million] endowment,” Roush says. “At a college of 1,200, we have Goldwater, Rhodes, Truman and Fulbright scholars. You wouldn’t expect that. And among our trustees you wouldn’t expect to find as many generous and loyal people as we have.”
While the interiors of the new spaces are thoroughly modern and wired for everything from Wi-Fi to Wii, architects made sure exteriors hark back to the campus’ Classical heritage, with arches, columns and pediments included as prominent features on the new science addition and the Campus Center.
Construction of the new $15 million Campus Center, completed in fall 2009, expands designated space for student organizations, meetings and socializing (including gaming spaces for pool tables and Wii matches) and features a large dining commons and a grill and snack bar.
The new two-story, 40,000-square-foot addition to the Young Hall science building will include six large classrooms, eight teaching labs, research labs for eight faculty members, collaborative work areas and expansion and renovation of animal facilities. The $20 million addition is due for completion in 2010 and will allow for more student-faculty collaborative undergraduate research.
And a $4 million renovation of the Norton Center for the Arts debuted in fall 2009, including new seating, carpeting and fabrics, new offices, modernized plumbing and thermal glass windows.
Diverse artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Mikhail Baryshnikov, the Beach Boys and Aretha Franklin have graced the center’s stages through the years, and the stunning renovations will only add to the facility’s prestige. The elegant new look also is sure to help the college attract more high-profile events, such as the 2000 vice presidential debate it hosted between candidates Dick Cheney and Sen. Joe Lieberman.
In April 2009, Pearl Hall, a year-old, $15 million student residence, received Gold LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council – the first building in Kentucky to receive the prestigious designation.
Sustainable design and materials include low-flow plumbing and fixtures; controllability of lighting, heating and cooling; no-toxin paints and adhesives; “green” carpeting that meets the requirements of Green Label Plus carpeting; recycling containers throughout the building; and a geothermal heating and cooling system.
“It’s an important message to send to our students, that sustainability matters as part of a liberal education,” Roush says.
So do athletics, which weren’t overlooked in the makeover. The football field at Farris Stadium and Gary Wright Baseball Field both received new artificial turf. New track equipment was installed at Farris, and Wright received new laser grading of the field and an irrigation system.
The changes at Centre College befit an institution that garners recognition from publications such as U.S. News & World Report, which in 2009 named it one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges in the nation – the highest rank of any Kentucky college or university.
“What we do for our students is as good as it gets,” Roush says. “Because of what we’ve been accomplishing in the classroom and the diversity of people coming here, people are recognizing we’re first rate.”
Story by Jeannie Naujeck
