Anna Maria unveils campus center improvements
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Anna Maria College's campus center features a new look this fall as part of renovations to the building.
Students starting classes Tuesday at Anna Maria College will come upon the first renovations to the school's campus center in decades.
The $4.2 million renovation includes revamped seating areas, new handicapped accessibility, and newly replaced windows, doors and roof. The less-visible work was completed a few years ago, while the overhaul that students will notice most in common areas was completed in time for the fall semester.
The campus center is the hub of the small Paxton campus, with a dining hall, book store and student services offices.
"The truth is that it was very dated. When we were recruiting or retaining students, it was tough to compare to other institutions," Anna Maria President Mary Lou Retelle said. "It had been long overdue."
The improvements were funded by Anna Maria, the dining services company Sodexho and two Worcester philanthropic groups, the George I. Alden Trust and the Stoddard Charitable Trust.
Other improvements at Anna Maria could be on the horizon, with the campus seeing strain in accommodating what Retelle said is a rising number of students in recent years. The undergraduate student body has grown from 750 to 1,000 in the past five years. Anna Maria is also looking at potential upgrades to its athletics facilities and is studying the feasibility of a new academic building, with classroom space at a premium, Retelle said.
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