On August 23, 2024, the University of Missouri-St. Louis held the 2024 State of the University Address and Chancellor’s Awards. In the address, Chancellor Kristin Sobolik summarizes the accomplishments of UMSL over the past year and announces plans for the upcoming academic year.
One the major points of the 2024 address is the Transform UMSL plan, which encompasses a massive construction project to North campus to “create state-of-the-art facilities and expand access to vital student support services”. Included in the Transform UMSL plan is the creation of the Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center, the renovation of the JCPenney Building to become the administrative and academic home of the College of Optometry, the transformation of the TJ Library and Mercantile Library, and the renovation and expansion of the Social Sciences and Business Building/Tower to house the College of Education and Pierre Laclede Honors College.
While the expansion of North campus is certainly exciting for UMSL’s future, as a student walking the halls, I can’t help but wonder if undertaking multiple construction projects simultaneously is hurting day-to-day campus life.
One of the biggest hurdles students experience daily on campus is the heavy construction. With the closure of the North Campus Quad right in the middle of campus, walkways and community gathering spaces are limited for student use. Additionally, the loss of the outdoor seating area in the North Campus Quad is a detriment to campus life as it served as a central outdoor study and congregation spot for students.
The construction on the North Campus also disrupts parking. Due to the closure of the North Campus Quad, UMSL recommends that students, faculty, staff and visitors park in the Millennium Student Center parking lots and parking garages. With this recommendation, parking lots around campus have become more crowded with the limited use of the West Drive South Garage. Furthermore, the construction of the North Campus Quad serves as a disturbance to classes. Often, it is common for lectures in the surrounding buildings to be interrupted with the sounds of heavy machinery and construction vehicles.
Another aspect of the Transform UMSL plan includes the renovation of the UMSL libraries. During renovation, the computer commons have been moved to the Social Sciences and Business Building/Tower, Cafe TJ is not serving customers, level 5 study rooms and open study spaces are closed to library patrons and any materials needed from closed levels must be requested in the catalog. The construction of the TJ library is a huge disturbance for student life on campus. Not only does the construction limit the space and services the library offers, but construction noise often bleeds into the space, disrupting the quiet environment.
From a student perspective, it is exciting to know UMSL is actively taking steps to better serve students and the community. One of the highlights from the 2024 State of the University Address is the announcement of the UMSL School of Engineering, which builds on the existing joint undergraduate engineering program UMSL has with Washington University. Likewise, Spot, the agile mobile robot dog, made his debut at the State of the University Address to recognize the accomplishments of the Geospatial Advanced Technology Lab with a competition to rename him. These new additions to UMSL are compelling, but a contest to rename a robot dog does not undo the harm done by other UMSL projects. As Chancellor Sobolik refers to the construction of North Campus as “organized chaos,” it is difficult to fully commit to UMSL’s plans when the students are experiencing the brunt of the transformation process.
