GRAND opening! Campus celebrates $31.4M Student Center expansion
GRAND opening! Campus celebrates $31.4M Student Center expansion
March 13, 2025
Jackson Schaefer didn’t think the new, $31.4 million expansion to Rowan University’s Student Center could meet his expectations.
He was wrong.
“It was like walking onto a cruise ship. There’s just a vibe about it,” said Schaefer, a junior mathematics major who explored the 31,000-square-foot addition with his friend, Sam Prince, after University officials and student leaders cut the ribbon on the new space during a ceremony packed with hundreds of campus community members on March 12.
“I was one of the first people in the door and, right away, I texted my sister, who also goes to Rowan. I thought there was no way it would live up to the hype, but it does. There are so many study rooms. I found a new place to hang out.”
A central gathering place
The new structure, which connects to the existing 135,000-square-foot Chamberlain Student Center, is modeled after a Greek “agora,” a central gathering place. The expansion includes a student commons, a 150-person event area, a suite for the Student Government Association, meeting rooms, an amphitheater, a café and collaborative workspaces for student organizations (view video tour below).
The structure features a glass façade, allowing for engagement and connection among community members while integrating elements of the outdoors. Externally, the expansion includes a redesigned outdoor plaza and terrace.
An attractive feature of the space is a grand center staircase with multiple landings complete with tables and seating. The addition also includes two gas fireplaces.
Serving a growing campus
The student center was built in 1974 to serve 6,000 students. Today, Rowan’s enrollment is more than 23,000, making the need for additional space and upgrades tantamount as the University continues to grow, officials noted. Rowan is the third fastest-growing public research institution in the nation as recognized by The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Well before the 1 p.m. official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony led by Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Kevin Koett, students and community members lined up outside for a peek at the new addition.
Ground was broken for the expansion in 2022; its opening was much anticipated by the campus community, Student Government Association President Zackary Brown said.
The student center is the busiest building on the main campus. More than 10,000 students, employees and community members visit the building daily during the academic year, which translates into more than one million visits annually, according to Joe Lizza, director of the Chamberlain Student Center & Campus Activities.
“This location truly is the heartbeat of campus,” Koett said. “This is one of the countless examples of Rowan’s unwavering commitment to student-centeredness and student success.
“We are so thrilled to have this ceremony for you—our students. This building is dedicated to you.”
Rowan President Ali Houshmand said the building’s “agora” design was an intentional way to provide students with a new home that allows them to have spaces to connect with each other—and faculty and staff as well.
“This is the start of that,” he told students. “This is your new home. I hope you use it all the time.”
‘More than just bricks and mortar’
Koett said the building is “a space for education, entertainment, exploration, meeting, reflection, and socialization.” A new student-operated and managed Saxbys café, set to open this semester, will allow “the all-important opportunity to be caffeinated,” he joked. The café will be the second Saxbys on campus; the Business Hall Saxbys opened in 2021.
The expansion has its own welcome desk that’s in addition to the information desk/welcome desk in the original building. Yet to come in the new space is a tribute area honoring University benefactor Henry Rowan. Cushions in seating areas on the grand staircase and other details also are forthcoming, according to Koett and Lizza.
Brown urged his fellow students to utilize the space as they make strong connections with each other. When he transferred to Rowan, he said he finally found the community he was seeking. SGA has been deeply involved in the planning process for the expansion, dating back as far as 2016, Brown said.
“This space is more than just bricks and mortar. It’s a testament to the power of student leadership—a symbol of what happens when we advocate, collaborate and persist,” Brown, a senior, said. “Let it not just be a space of convenience, but a space of connection.”
According to Lizza, 30 students were hired this academic year to assist with programming and events in the addition. Altogether, he said, 130 students work in the student center alongside a core group of professional staff members. Student groups will immediately use the new space, which will host trivia nights and the Prof Spotlight series this semester, he said.
Senior psychology major Sara Pantano has worked in the student center’s information desk since 2022. She has had a front-row seat for the expansion project.
“Having more space is really important. There were never enough tables to study,” Pantano said. “The glass definitely makes the campus feel more modern, like Business Hall and Discovery Hall. I’m so glad I get to enjoy it.”
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