MOBILE – Spring Hill College plans to break ground on a new Campus Center in January 2009. The new state-of-the-art campus center will be the primary facility on campus that promotes interaction among students, faculty and staff in an effort to foster out-of-class learning, social and leadership development, as well as community building. The existing campus center, originally built in 1964, will be demolished and the new center will built in its place. The estimated construction timeframe is 18 months.

At Spring Hill College the campus center is an integral part of the educational and overall mission. The new campus center will be built as a LEED building. It will qualify for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, “the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.” A “green” campus center is strongly supported and advocated by the student body. The new campus center will also directly reflect the goal set forth by the College’s strategic plan to build and maintain the infrastructure with respect for the environment to sustain a culture of learning.

New or renovated features of the proposed campus center will include:
• a modern snack bar and gathering place with recreational games
• lockers
• information center
• wireless access to the network
• large student organization work space
• meeting rooms
• the bookstore, ATM, grab-and-go food options
• a 300-person capacity, multi-purpose room for both educational and social programs, such as lectures, seminars, student activities and meetings