Campus Construction
Mercyhurst College announces $32 million in construction projects at Erie and North East
The footprint of the Erie campus locating the proposed new residence hall and academic building. View a larger image of the proposed site plan. Watch this site for groundbreaking photos and updates.
On March 10, Mercyhurst College President Dr. Tom Gamble unveiled plans for an unprecedented $32 million in new construction and acquisition projects over the next five years. The projects will add a technology-rich academic building and a 300-bed freshman residence hall to the 75-acre Erie campus. In addition, at Mercyhurst North East, the college will proceed with construction of a new residence hall and complete major renovations to its newest acquisition, the First National Bank building at 5999 Station Road, North East.
The college's Board of Trustees, chaired by Marlene Mosco, recently approved the college's strategic plan, which provides the impetus for these projects. They will be financed by a bond issue and donor contributions.
"First and foremost this plan is about Mercyhurst students," Gamble said. "It represents a renewed commitment to the growth in excellence that has marked the history of Mercyhurst College and also strengthens Mercyhurst's fundamental allegiance to the liberal arts, the dignity of work and service to the community."
As enrollment on the Erie campus has grown so has the need for more plentiful and modern student housing. Currently, the Erie campus is home to approximately 2,000 resident students. The new residence hall will create room for new students, but it will also serve the existing population by reducing density issues.
Construction of the estimated $14 million residence hall at Erie is expected to begin this summer, with the goal of opening in fall 2009. Situated just east of and parallel with Tullio Field, the four-story brick structure will house up to 318 freshmen and encompass approximately 100,000 square feet.
As the college commits to enhancing student life on campus, it also intends to make bold new strides in the academic environment with construction of a new academic building, estimated at $12 million, which will take shape over the next two to three years. The building will be situated just west of the bookstore in the place now occupied, in part, by the Warde townhouses.
The brick structure will encompass approximately 60,000 square feet and incorporate new classrooms, computer and digital media labs, flexible teaching and learning spaces as well as offices, an auditorium, and a possible dining area.
Gamble said the new building will house the college's internationally respected Institute for Intelligence Studies as well as the Walker School of Business, which includes the Communication Department and the Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management program in an interdisciplinary environment unprecedented in the college's history.
"The new building will allow the college to bring together compatible academic programs, with the intention of using that synergy to strengthen existing majors and create exciting new ones," explained Jim Breckenridge, dean of the business school and chair of the intelligence studies department.
"Basically, we are reinventing ourselves to leverage our strengths in the fields of intelligence and business and to jump full stride into the dynamic field of strategic communication, including the digital media domain, with an eye toward producing a new type of 'Business School' graduate, " he said.
Meanwhile, as an estimated $500,000 in renovations to Mercyhurst North East's new academic acquisition, the FNB building, proceeds over the summer, the college expects to break ground on an estimated $3 million residence hall this spring. The two-story brick structure will be situated directly north of the existing eight-unit townhouse building and encompass 22,000 square feet. The design will accommodate 75 students in a suite setting.
MNE Executive Vice President Dr. Gary Brown said the new residence hall will enable the college to reclaim classroom space in Miller Hall, which had been converted to student housing to accommodate resident-student enrollment.