The Campus Life Committee of the Student Government hosted a town hall for the undergraduate student body to learn about the current and future campus improvements on Tuesday, Nov. 30. Robert Maffia, the Vice President for Facilities and Campus Operations at Stevens, presented on improvement projects designed to help Stevens accommodate its recent growth. Many of the projects are expected to be completed within the next five years.
Maffia began by covering all of the future projects that students can expect to see in the near future. First up was the completed renovation of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Engineering Center. The improvements helped create much needed student project work space as well as offices, instructional space, and research space. According to Maffia, there were also improvements made to the storm water management system, thanks to a senior project from last year. Maffia hopes to incorporate as much storm water detention in all of the construction projects as possible.
The meeting also discussed the North Building. Construction on the North Building has already begun behind Humphreys Hall and next to Jonas Hall. The building will be used as a “swing space” during the construction in the years to come. The Computer Science Department, currently located in Lieb Building, is scheduled to move there in the near future. Due to the modular construction method for the building, it will have a rapid build time and is expected to finish in May of 2017.
The incomplete Babbio garage expansion discussed next. The expansion will take place on the east side of the building, facing the Hudson River. The expanded garage will create 266 additional parking spaces and a recreational area for students on top. Stevens also plans to add a fabric facade on to the garage to make it more aesthetically appealing. Construction will begin soon and Maffia hopes to be finished before October of 2017.
The Academic Gateway, possibly the most well known improvement coming to campus, will be coming to campus by May 2019. This new building will take the place of the Lieb building and the parking lot across the street from it. The new building will house 17 classrooms, 14 labs, office space, and instructional space. The building is currently on target to become a LEED Gold certified building.
The Pond House, The Alexander House and The Lore-El Center were up next. The Pond House will be transformed into a new Wellness Center. This means that the current Wellness Center will move from Jacobus and other wellness services will move from Howe. The Alexander House will be used as a temporary student center for when Jacobus is torn down. The Lore-El Center, a unique living space for women at Stevens, will also see renovations. There are plans to improve the interior and add an event space to the back of the building.
During the presentation, Maffia also made note of the many improvements that have recently been completed around campus. These renovations include: the addition of the Hanlon Two financial lab, Schaefer Lobby, multiple classrooms in the Edwin A. Stevens Building, the Morton Visual Arts and Technology Studio, America’s Cup, and much more. There are a multitude of other minor improvements around campus as well.
The next priority for Maffia will be to begin work on the new Student Housing and University Center. The current plans call for both Hayden and Jacobus to be torn down and replaced with a large University Center that has two towers on top of it for student housing. Maffia hopes that this will help to reduce the number of leased housing locations around Hoboken. There is also a priority to look to find more space to expand the Stevens campus to the corner of Fifth Street and Sinatra Drive.
As much as the focus is currently on campus, Stevens is also looking at some off campus opportunities. One of the main goals is to simplify all leased housing into one building in order to benefit both the Stevens community and the Hoboken community. This move would allow for a simplified Shuttle route, which would aid students living off campus, and potential space for administrative needs.
The floor was then opened to Q&A between the Maffia and those present. The first question asked about the original plan for Babbio, which according to Maffia is the same one that is currently being put into action and that there may be an additional phase to come after. This all stems from the original strategic plan created in 2012 to make as many improvements to Stevens as possible. Another student asked about the varying architecture styles around campus and their lack of cohesiveness. Maffia responded by noting that many of the buildings look different for a number of reasons, such as technological improvements and cost.
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