ALLEGANY, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure University is preparing for an
“extreme makeover.”
Similar to ABC television’s popular series “Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition,” a handful of campus buildings – including the Hickey
Dining Hall and residence halls – will receive an $8 million
facelift as part of the university’s investment toward the future
and an effort to remain competitive with other colleges.
Plans call for a 5,000-square-foot addition and renovation to
the dining hall, substantial renovations to residence halls,
including Shay-Loughlen, Doyle and Francis, and heating and other
improvements in Devereux, Robinson and Falconio halls. The Hickey
addition will feature a gourmet coffeehouse with wireless
capability and extended hours.
The announcement was made at lunchtime Thursday in front of
students, faculty and the media in Hickey, which was built in
1930.
“We are doing an extreme makeover of the Hickey dining room,”
Sister Margaret Carney, university president, told those in
attendance to a chorus of cheers. “Take a good look, because it’s
all going away.”
University officials said the latest project comes on the heels
of a $13.6 million plan to upgrade the university’s science
facilities, a $2 million addition to Friedsam Memorial Library and
the 2004 opening of the $6.2 million Sandra A. and William L.
Richter Center, which is a state-of-the-art recreation facility
located in the heart of campus.
Full-scale construction of the new science wing and library
addition will begin this summer. Meanwhile, officials said the
expansion and renovation to Hickey and Shay-Loughlen will start May
15, the day after graduation, and will largely be completed by when
students return to school in August. The remaining work will follow
in the summer of 2007 at Doyle, Francis, Robinson and Falconio
halls. Work on the science buildings will take 18 months to
complete.
“We have wanted to do something like this for quite some time,”
Carney said, adding an earlier study indicated the university’s
most critical need was in facilities. “This will be hard hat heaven
for the months to come on this side of the campus.”
According to officials, the renovations at Hickey will entail a
complete overhaul of the facility. The main dining room will
receive an entire cosmetic redesign, including new flooring,
ceiling and wall finishes, lighting, new tables and chairs and new
stations for food preparation and serving. While work is ongoing, a
temporary dining space will be set up over the summer.
Officials said the changes will allow for dining services to
change and an expansion of the menu “in response to changing tastes
and requests from students.”
Carney said the addition will face “the quad” area of campus and
include a coffeeshop and lounge where “people can meet, enjoy their
time and socialize.”
A student union is “very much alive for us,” Carney said in
response to a question from a student, who noted that plan has been
in the works for several years.
Officials said a total of 500 students took part in the
development of the plans for the buildings through input collected
in surveys and focus groups and student leaders who previously
served on the university’s master planning committee. Additional
student input will be gathered in reaction to the proposed plan
prior to making any final decisions, officials said.
“We are very excited about this new venue and believe that it
will provide an alternative in casual gathering space for students
that they don’t currently have,” Nigel-Ray Garcia, president of the
university’s Student Government Association, said.
Meanwhile, the renovations to the residence halls will include a
total renovation of one building to a suite configuration, with the
other receiving significant upgrades. Officials said the hall
that’s converted to suites will house 114 students; that space now
houses approximately 190 students.
The renovations will be paid for with $8 million in tax-exempt
bonds through the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency,
which approved the transaction Thursday, according to Brenda McGee
Snow, vice president for business and finance.
“We are confident in the future the changes will bring St.
Bonaventure more in line with the services students are looking at
when deciding on a college,” Carney said.
Dr. Frank “Skip” Saal, provost and vice president of academic
affairs, said the changes will “improve student life and enhance
the overall educational experience for the students.”
Officials said the work won’t have a direct impact on
tuition.
