Campus Capital Improvements Help St. John’s Prepare for New Academic Year

To the casual summertime visitor to St. John’s University’s Queens, NY, campus, the extent of the expansive scope of capital improvements, renovations, deferred maintenance projects, and new construction may take time to become apparent. Nevertheless, many capital improvements are underway up close and behind the scenes, and work continues as the campus hosts regular summertime activities, external events, athletic camps, and routine business operations.

The most notable—and noticeable—project is found at the southwest end of the Great Lawn, where the 70,000-square-foot St. Vincent Health Sciences Center moves toward completion. The finishing touches of the building’s interior and exterior landscaping are underway. Furniture, classroom technology, and office equipment are being deployed throughout the state-of-the-art learning space. The center will be ready for the fall semester, and a formal dedication ceremony is scheduled for mid-September.

Some other more visible projects include the complete renovation of the School of Law parking lot with milling, grading, ADA curb cuts, tactile mats, concrete sidewalks, a new layer of asphalt, and freshly painted lines for parking spaces. The School also saw a full modernization of two elevators in the building.

The roof of St. Louise de Marillac Hall is being replaced and Dunkin’ in Marillac cafeteria is being renovated; both projects will be completed before the fall semester begins.

Administrative offices on the third floor of Newman Hall underwent renovation, and basement back office operations at the Office of Student Financial Services are slated to be upgraded before the fall semester begins. The first-floor restrooms in Sullivan Hall saw upgrades, as did the Center for Counseling Education on the second floor, which was renovated to create additional office space.

Improvements to Carnesecca Arena will be evident later this fall to student-athletes and visiting teams, with overhauls made to game-day locker rooms for the Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams. The space is also used by visiting teams and officials.

In the residence village, Donovan Hall saw a full modernization of both elevators and a refurbished building lobby. The townhouses saw renovations. Also, the creation of a new Market Cafe in Montgoris Dining Hall is being built. New lounge furniture occupies the Henley Road residence building off-campus, and an updated reception area is now part of the Speech and Hearing Center on Union Turnpike.

“The University is committed to making regular improvements to our campus facilities,” explained Brian Baumer, Associate Vice President of Campus Facilities and Services. “With continuous improvements and an ongoing strategic plan for campus space underway, we expect better positioning of our living, learning, and athletic spaces to meet student needs now and in the future.”

“I am extremely proud of the investments being made into facilities and the extraordinary work of our team and external contractors,” added Mr. Baumer. “It is great to see all the work underway to improve various aspects of the campus environment.”

St. John’s Office of Information Technology also facilitates collaborative innovation and infrastructure upgrades to ensure student success through secure, reliable, equitable, and integrated technology solutions. During the spring and summer, campus improvements and upgrades were made to wireless networks, improving bandwidth and access to the internet on campus.

The IT team continues to ensure classrooms and teaching spaces have the latest technology, and regularly test and make improvements to the mobile app. St. John’s Connect and updates to the student University Information System (UIS) were recently completed.

“The Summer of 2024 is another busy season for St. John’s University’s Department of Campus Facilities and Services,” said Mr. Baumer. “Students, faculty, administrators, and staff will soon reap the benefits of these continuing infrastructure and maintenance improvement projects.”