Higher education has been reaching new heights in the Hoosier state lately, as almost every major institution is undertaking major efforts to expand their facilities. Some have been making room for more students to move onto campus, while others are constructing ultra-modern facilities for higher learning.
In any case, there has certainly been a rush of capital projects and other activities over the last few months. We reached out to multiple universities to provide you with details about all the construction that’s been happening lately on campuses across the state. Check it out!
$21M – Goshen College’s Westlawn Hall Renovations
Image from Goshen College.Goshen College has broken ground on what it describes as a “historic” renovation to its Westlawn Hall building, which will add new space for its nursing and public health programs. This expansion is projected to triple the amount of square footage for these departments, potentially doubling the college's number of nursing graduates.
Westlawn was originally built in 1951 as a residential building. The current project will add new state-of-the-art learning spaces and add enhanced dining facilities that will serve the entire campus. There will also be lounge and collaborative areas for students, a multi-purpose conference room, and new outdoor patio spaces.
The second and third floors will contain the nursing and public health education center. There will be three inpatient simulation rooms, six exam rooms for use in high-fidelity simulation training, a 10-bed skills lab, and classroom spaces.
This $21 million project was financed in part by donors, a $4 million grant from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), and a $1 million grant from the Community Foundation of Elkhart County. Renovations are expected to be completed by early 2025.
$20M – Manchester University’s Fort Wayne Expansion
Image from Manchester University.This fall, construction crews working on Manchester University’s Fort Wayne project put in place the final structural beam to complete the building’s expanded frame. The university is investing $20 million to grow its health sciences hub on the Parkview Regional Medical Center campus.
The expansion will add more than 32,000 square feet of space and new state-of-the-art capabilities to help the university meet the high demand for more healthcare graduates. One of the key amenities in the new space will be the addition of an interprofessional clinic, which will provide students and faculty with hands-on experience serving a high-need population of patients.
Other additions will include physical therapy teaching labs, research and classroom spaces, a nursing simulation and skills laboratory, collaborative areas, and a new café.
Other current Manchester University Fort Wayne programs that will benefit from this expansion will include several of the university’s graduate degree in Nutrition and Nutrigenomics, the Doctor of Pharmacy program, and master’s degree programs like those in athletic training, and pharmacogenomics.
$45M – E. S. Witchger School of Engineering Center
Image from Browning.Construction work on Marian University’s new E. S. Witchger School of Engineering Center wrapped up this summer. The new, 70,000-square-foot engineering center was built specifically to provide students with the learning environment, equipment, and technology they need to succeed during their collegiate career and beyond.
The building features high-tech classrooms that allow students to apply theory learned in the classroom to various laboratory settings. Thirteen laboratories are available that will contain an array of modern technology, like collaborative robots, a machine shop, material and equipment testing spaces, a wind tunnel for aerodynamic testing, and a two-story process control unit. The school offers degrees in biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, and mechanical engineering as well as engineering physics.
One of Marian’s priorities with the new facility is to focus on increasing diversity in engineering. Competitive scholarships have been created to attract the diverse population needed for future engineers and high-demand positions. The first group of engineering students that began their college careers at the E. S. Witchger School of Engineering consisted of approximately 25% female students and 24% of students that were eligible to receive federal Pell grants.
$30M – New Residence Hall at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Image from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology held a groundbreaking ceremony this fall for its new $30 million, four-floor residence hall. The building is scheduled to be available for occupancy by fall 2025, which is important to the institute because enrollment has been on an upward trend.
Housing approximately 160 students, the new residence hall will have student lounges, kitchenettes, and study spaces on each floor. The building will be located southwest of Speed Residence Hall and within proximity to Baur-Sames-Bogart (BSB) and Percopo Residence Halls, which also house first-year students.
Following the completion of the new building, Rose-Hulman officials have plans to make substantive renovations to Speed Hall as a part of Phase II of this project, likely during the 2025-26 school year.
First-year students are required to live on campus and an increasing number of upper-class students have sought housing in residence halls or on-campus fraternity and sorority housing. The new building will address the college’s increased need for campus housing, with enrollment at near-record numbers. Rose-Hulman’s enrollment has increased to nearly 2,250 students in recent years.
$20M – University of Evansville’s Lincoln Commons
Image from UE.The University of Evansville (UE) recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new student housing apartment complex called Lincoln Commons. When completed, the four-story building will house approximately 123 upperclassman students.
To develop Lincoln Commons, several buildings on campus needed to be demolished, including the University Apartments, Ramona Apartments, one of the Hazeart Apartment buildings, and the former Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity House. Demolition of the site began in November 2022, followed by the commencement of foundation work in March 2023.
All four levels of the new apartment complex will include a total of 55 units. Each apartment will include a full kitchen with appliances, washer and dryer, full size beds, couches, chairs, and desks. The first floor of the building will feature a 3,500-square-foot restaurant with an outdoor patio. An 87-space parking lot will also be developed across the street.
The project is expected to be completed by August 2024 just in time for the start of the academic year.
$45M – Trine’s New College of Health Professions Facility
Image from Trine University.Trine University recently has purchased an additional 43 acres of land in Fort Wayne that sits adjacent to a 13-acre parcel where the forthcoming Dr. Earl D. and Melanie Brooks College of Health Professions facility is currently being constructed. In total, the property and the new structure will represent an approximately $45 million investment.
The new 110,000-square-foot Brooks College of Health Professions facility, developed in close partnership with Parkview Health, will employ 100 faculty and staff and serve nearly 700 students. The new space will enable the college to introduce new programs, including occupational therapy, medical science, and emergency medical sciences, among others.
The new facility will offer state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories and will feature an innovative Simulated Patient Care Center (SimCenter). Inside the SimCenter, students will have the opportunity to participate in several mock scenarios like surgeries, Emergency Room procedures, and patient exams. The center will also include a Virtual and Augmented Reality Immersive Training Room, Intensive Care Unit, Nursing Station and Med Room and Sterile Processing.
The building is expected to open for instruction in the summer of 2024.
