Eastern Michigan University Student Center

Last updated
Eastern Michigan University
Student Center
EMUstudentCenterlogo.jpg
Alternative namesStudent Center
General information
Type Student union
Architectural style Post Modern
Location Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA
Address900 Oakwood St. Ypsilanti, MI 48197 [1]
Groundbreaking2004
Construction started2006
Cost$33 million (2006) [2]
LandlordDirector Ann Klaes [3]
Technical details
Floor count4
Floor area181,000 sq ft [4]
Design and construction
Architect(s) Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates [5]
Main contractorTurner Construction [4]
Designations Kiva Room, LAN Gaming Center
Other information
Parkingyes
Website
www.emich.edu/studentcenter/

The Eastern Michigan University Student Center is Eastern Michigan University's student union. Since its opening in 2006 the EMU Student Center replaced McKenny Union as the student hub of campus life. [6] The building is simply referred to as "The Student Center" by students faculty and staff. In 2017 the Student Center was named the number one student union in the country by the College Rank. The building is located in University Park near the Rec/IM and Library. It is also the location of the EMU Bookstore, a 24/7 computer lab, two art galleries, various offices and Admissions. [7] The Student Center also includes the Kiva Room. [8]

Contents

History

McKenny Hall McKenny 715.jpg
McKenny Hall

Eastern Michigan University's first student union was McKenny Union, first proposed by President Charles McKenny in 1924. McKenny Union opened in 1931, and was the first student union on the campus of a teachers' college. [9] In the early 2000s, EMU began to look at a possible expansion and renovation of McKenny Union. The university found that constructing a new student center and renovating McKenny would be cheaper. The firm of Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates was hired to design the new building [10] with Turner Construction as the builder, [4] and in 2004, work began on the former site of Pine Grove Apartments and tennis courts. The building officially opened on November 17, 2006. Since its opening, the EMU Student Center uses the slogan "Centered on You!". Following its opening, the Student Center created "a new hub of activity on north side of campus". [11] Once the Student Center opened, McKenny Union closed for renovations and reopened as McKenny Hall. Despite criticism from some faculty members about the expense, the opening of the new student center was considered one of the high points of John A. Fallon's troubled two-year tenure as president of EMU. [12] A poll of campus community members found that the student center was considered one of EMU's top ten improvements between 2002 and 2012. [13]

Facility

Student center view of the east side EMUstudentCenterYpsilantiMI.jpg
Student center view of the east side

The building offers student services, a Chase Bank branch, [14] dining facilities, meeting rooms, two art galleries, administrative offices, student organization offices, an auditorium, a 24-hour computer lab, a Kiva Room, bookstore and a gaming center. [7] [15] The cost of the Student Center is estimated around $40.5 million (USD). [15] The building's architectural style is Post Modern. The building is approximately 181,000 square feet (16,800 m2) in size. [15] The building is located in University Park near the Rec/IM and Library. During the buildings construction a lake was made adjacent to the Student Center. This completed the area known as "University Park". Outside the building to the south is a small reconstructed prairie and a bridge. [15] The Student Center is home to offices such as Campus Life, VISION, a box office, Service EMU, and Admissions. [7] The Student Center was the home of the first LAN Gaming Center (Savage Geckos); purchased by the university in Spring 2008 and renamed E-Zone.

Current food vendors in the Student Center include sites run by EMU's Dining Services, Smashburger and Starbucks. [16] Past vendors include Taco Bell, KFC, Sbarro, Panda Express, Wendy's and Subway. In recent years EMU has moved away from chain restaurants to sites run and owned by the university.

The facility is also heavily used for local and state conferences. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] In addition, due to the building's design the facility has hosted several "green" environmental conferences in the facility. [22] [23] Beyond this due to the school's aviation program, the school has hosted several aviation conferences. [24] [25]

Kiva Room

The Student Center also includes the Kiva Room, a round, 360-degree room patterned after spaces used in Native American cultures, on the north end of the third floor. [26] The Kiva Room is used as a meeting space, for collaboration, or for musical purposes. [8]

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Eastern Michigan University is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal school established in the United States and the first outside New England. In 1899, the Michigan State Normal School became the first normal school in the nation to offer a four-year curriculum; the college became a university in 1959.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherzer Hall</span> United States historic place

Sherzer Hall is an academic building on the Eastern Michigan University campus, located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Sherzer Hall is one of four buildings comprising the Eastern Michigan University Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was designed by E. W.. Arnold of Battle Creek and survived two fires. Sherzer Hall has a red-brick exteriors Sherzer's exterior has a few mildly Romanesque and Georgian elements. Due to its unique style causes it to defies stylistic classification. Sherzer also is home to Sherzer Observatory which was established in 1878 and eventually moved to the top of Sherzer Hall in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Gervin GameAbove Center</span> Sports and entertainment venue on the campus of Eastern Michigan University

The George Gervin GameAbove Center, formerly known as the Convocation Center, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex located on Eastern Michigan University’s west campus. Opened in 1998 as part of a campus upgrade initiative, the George Gervin GameAbove Center is a 204,316-square-foot (18,981.6 m2) structure that features three levels including arena, concourse, and office. The arena also has multiple seating configurations to maximize space usage.

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The Eastern Michigan Eagles are a college football program at Eastern Michigan University. They compete in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Mid-American Conference. Past names include "Michigan State Normal College Normalites", "Michigan State Normal College Hurons", and "Eastern Michigan Hurons".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Michigan Eagles</span> Sports teams for Eastern Michigan University

The Eastern Michigan Eagles, formerly known as the Normalites and the Hurons, are the athletic teams for Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. The Eagles compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I level as members of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The only exception is the women's rowing program, which is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. Altogether, the Eagles have won three NCAA Division II national championships and 13 NAIA Division I national championships in five different sports ; moreover, EMU has been NCAA Division I national runner-up twice. In 1940, the men's cross country team finished second to Indiana University at the national meet hosted by Michigan State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Martin</span> American academic administrator

Susan Work Martin is an American academic administrator who was most recently the interim president of San José State University. Previously, Martin served as president of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan from 2008 to 2015. She was the first female president in the university’s 160-year history. She held a simultaneous appointment as Professor of Accounting in the College of Business during her tenure at Eastern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McKenny Hall</span> United States historic place

McKenny Hall, previously called McKenny Union and Charles McKenny Union, was the first student union on the campus of the Michigan State Normal College in Ypsilanti, Michigan. At various times the building has included bookstores, a bowling alley, a bank, a food court, a ballroom, and other social spaces for students. Today the building is known as McKenny Hall and is home to human resources, academic advising, and career services. After the new Eastern Michigan University Student Center opened in 2006, McKenny closed for renovations and structural preservation work. The building is located across from the famous Ypsilanti Water Tower on Cross Street and is a contributing property to the Eastern Michigan University Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pease Auditorium</span> Concert hall on the campus of Eastern Michigan University

Pease Auditorium is a concert hall on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The auditorium was dedicated in 1915 in memory of music professor Frederic H. Pease, at the institution then known as the Michigan State Normal College, and is the fourth-oldest building on the EMU campus. Pease Auditorium is in the Neoclassical Revival architectural style, and was designed by the Detroit-based firm Smith, Hinchman, and Grylls. The auditorium's 1500-seat capacity and excellent acoustics contribute to its reputation as a premier music venue, presenting the performances of the Eastern Michigan University Department of Music and Dance.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olds-Robb Recreation-Intramural Complex</span>

The Olds-Robb Recreation-Intramural Complex is Eastern Michigan University's recreation center. The Olds-Robb Rec/IM encompasses several buildings on campus. The Olds-Robb Student Recreation/Intramural Complex, which opened in 1982, contains an indoor track, two weight rooms, and a whirlpool, as well as Jones Natatorium, Big Bob's Lake House and a picnic area between the Rec/IM building and Downing Hall. The Rec/IM is also attached to Bowen Field House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starkweather Hall</span> United States historic place

Starkweather Hall, also known as Starkweather Religious Center, is a religious and educational building located at 901 West Forest Avenue in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1972 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is also part of the Eastern Michigan University Historic District and is the oldest building on EMU's campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Michigan University Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

Eastern Michigan University Historic District is a historic district on the very south end of the Eastern Michigan University campus. Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan in Washtenaw County. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School. Several buildings since its founding have achieved historical significance and eventually establishing it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The district was established in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherzer Observatory</span> Astronomical observatory located on the campus of Eastern Michigan University, Michigan, US

Sherzer Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. The observatory was established in 1903 with the construction of the new Natural Science Building, in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Following a devastating fire in 1989 a new observatory opened in September 1991 with a 10-inch (250 mm) apochromatic refractor telescope and German equatorial mount centered under a 6-meter dome.

References

  1. ↑ "Eastern Michigan University Student Center", Metro Times, archived from the original on 9 July 2012, retrieved 22 March 2012
  2. ↑ "Eastern Michigan Univ Student Center", Reed Construction Data, archived from the original on February 1, 2013, retrieved 22 March 2012
  3. ↑ "SC Director". Archived from the original on 2011-06-05.
  4. 1 2 3 Eastern Michigan University, Student Center , retrieved 22 March 2012
  5. ↑ "SC designer".[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ "EMU Student Center: About Us". Eastern Michigan University. Archived from the original on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 "Student Center Offices". Student Center Offices. emich.edu. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  8. 1 2 "EMU student Center kiva room". EMU student Center kiva room. Emich.edu. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  9. ↑ "Charles McKenny Hall Dedicated Today", The Ypsilanti Daily Press, 24 October 1931, retrieved 12 February 2011
  10. ↑ Student Centers: The Heart of Student Life, Burt Hill, retrieved 22 March 2012, For example, Eastern Michigan University (EMU) commissioned Burt Hill to build a new student center on their campus.
  11. ↑ Larcom, Geoff (2008-08-31), "Eastern Michigan University officials offer bonus to boost on-campus living", Ann Arbor News , retrieved 22 March 2012
  12. ↑ "Recalling John Fallon's tenure", Ann Arbor News , 16 July 2007, retrieved 22 March 2012, The new EMU Student Center opened in November, replacing outdated McKenny Union. Many students and staff applauded the opening of the union, but some faculty members said the money would have been better used for academic programs.
  13. ↑ "Eastern Michigan University ranks top 10 campus improvements", The Ypsilanti Courier, 19 February 2012, retrieved 22 March 2012, The opening of the student center, Ethos Week and aesthetic improvements to campus are among the top 10 improvements at Eastern Michigan University over the last 10 years, according to a poll of EMU faculty, staff and students.
  14. ↑ Stafford, Katrease (August 30, 2011). "EMU campus switches bank". Eastern Echo . Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "EMU student Center Facility". EMU student Center Facility. emich.edu. Retrieved 23 June 2011.[ permanent dead link ]
  16. ↑ "Student Center Dining Options". Student Center Dining Options. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  17. ↑ "Ann Arbors Arts Alliance conference". Ann Arbors Arts Alliance conference. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  18. ↑ "Joint michigan education conference june 2012". Joint michigan education conference june 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  19. ↑ "Conference on race". Conference on race. Archived from the original on 2 June 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  20. ↑ "Michigan school counselor association conference march 2012". Michigan school counselor association conference march 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  21. ↑ "Convergence conference 2009". Convergence conference 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  22. ↑ "Green Conference held at EMU". Green Conference held at EMU. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  23. ↑ "Remodel Green conference". Remodel Green conference. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  24. ↑ "aviation conference". aviation conference. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  25. ↑ New Flight School Lands In Mid-Michigan, WLNS, 6 July 2011, archived from the original on 14 July 2011, retrieved 9 July 2011
  26. ↑ "New EMU Student Center celebrates grand opening". Focus EMU Online. Eastern Michigan University. 7 November 2006. Archived from the original on 30 May 2010. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
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