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Breaking Ground for a New Student Union

May 19, 2010

The Carthage Pep Band performed at the April 24 groundbreaking ceremony.

Facility will create a space to come together

Carthage broke ground for a new Student Union at ceremonies April 24, following two years of planning for the $14 million project. Situated on the site of the former Siedemann Natatorium, the Student Union will be in the center of campus, at the crossroads of classroom, recreational and residential activity on campus.

Coming Together
The Campaign for a New Student Union

Consistently growing enrollment has challenged campus capacity in all areas. The College has responded by building new residence halls and reconfiguring existing buildings, to accommodate every student who wants to live on campus. But in the process many common areas were converted into additional housing space.

Carthage seeks to offer students a collegiate experience they will respect and have affection for, and a big part of that is a gathering place that can become the major center of student activity outside the classroom.

"When I think back on my days as a Carthage student, I hardly can overstate how important it was to have a place simply to be together in community — a place where the experiences of the classroom or the athletic field could be shared, where relationships could be developed, and where lasting friendships first began," says Edward W. Smeds, '57, chairman of the Board of Trustees.

For Mr. Smeds, and Carthaginians of his generation, the Student Union was a former Army barracks that the College purchased and moved to Carthage, Ill. You could get an egg sandwich for a dime, and a cup of coffee for a nickel. More importantly, the original Student Union provided space for students to gather, continue the debate from the day's lectures, and catch up on campus gossip.

When the College moved to Kenosha, one of the first buildings constructed was a smaller version of what we now know as the Todd Wehr Center. But a decade ago increasing enrollment had outgrown the capacity of the Wehr Center. The time has come to fortify this important element of the Carthage experience with a facility that can support round-the-clock learning and the social expectations of a leading liberal arts college.

Terrace Media Wall Gaming Area

The 46,000-square-foot Union will give Carthage students a facility on par with the academic, recreational and residential buildings added in the past decade. The Union will provide gathering space for small and large student groups, expanded dining options, a theatre/art gallery, and a new book and convenience store. The Union project will also include new bleachers for Art Keller Field, a new press box, and handicap-accessible game seating on the Union patio.

The heart of the Union will be the Campus Living Room, occupying the southern half of the building, providing an open atmosphere for conversation and interaction.

A new Bookstore, run by Barnes & Noble, will be situated on the main floor. The expanded store will allow for enhanced services, while an adjacent convenience store will offer "grab and go" food items and sundries.

A new Dining Area on the eastern side of the building, facing Campus Drive and the lake, will reduce overcrowding and offer new food choices, such as Jamba Juice, World of Wings, Baja Fresh, and Seattle's Best Coffee.

A Media Wall will welcome visitors with a six-screen media tower inside the main entrance. An interactive gaming area next to the dining area will feature large format video games.

Highlights of the second floor are a 200-seat Theatre, suitable for films, speeches, and theatrical productions; and a Campus Art Gallery, where student art will be featured.

The Terrace, to the west of the Living Room, will provide access to the new bleachers and press box at Art Keller Field, while allowing football fans to use food service and restroom facilities in the Union.

"A residential campus requires a facility whose purpose is to foster the kind of community life that is central to the Carthage experience," says F. Gregory Campbell, president of the College. "Carthage students need a social place of their own."

Mr. Smeds points out that "our investment in new facilities, and our investment in faculty and programs, has yielded the largest and finest community of students in our history." The Student Union, he adds, is another such investment, "an investment in the future, for the Carthage we care about so deeply."

—Bill Kurtz, Carthage College

Learn more about the Student Union.