Looking Ahead
The Campus Commons: At the Heart of a UNC Education
UNC is responding to today’s challenges with the same inventive, entrepreneurial and tenacious spirit that has characterized it since its founding 125 years ago.
The Campus Commons will be key to addressing the needs of students.
Much more than a building, it will integrate various forms of student advising and support, often separate on most campuses, into a seamless process. It will weave academic, international study, community and civic engagement and career preparation into a single network tailored to each student. Students will find a higher level of support and guidance — with greater integration — than at any other university in Colorado.
The Campus Commons has three goals:
Increase the number of students who enroll and succeed at UNC.
- The Commons will bring together the front-line functions vital to helping students successfully navigate their UNC education. From the time they first see the campus as prospective students through graduation, students will receive a one-stop, case-management approach: With a single conversation, a student can access a full range of opportunities, and the educational experience will be customized to best meet each student’s needs.
Address the basic curricular needs of students in performing and visuals arts, business, nutrition, and tourism/hospitality.
- The Commons will serve academic needs with a 400-seat auditorium, 600-seat performance hall and a gallery. There will also be hands-on experiences for nutrition, hospitality and business students. A café and catering service, for example, will provide students real-world opportunities that prospective employers seek.
Create a connecting point for UNC and the broader community.
- A place of welcome for thousands of alumni, community members and international guests, the Commons will enhance faculty’s ability to engage with the community and build partnerships to support student learning and the economic vitality of the state and region.
The Campus Commons represents a complete shift from institution-centric design to student-centric design not found at other universities. It embodies the university’s strategic direction where students and their success are at the heart of academics; research, scholarship and creative works; and community building.
Funding for the Campus Commons is proposed to come from three sources: $40 million over two funding cycles from the State of Colorado, $10 million in gifts from donors, and the issuance of a $24 million bond supported by a student capital fee. NV
The project, anticipated for completion in 2017, will be funded through a combination of public and private sources, including support from generous alumni and friends.
