Staff report

RIO GRANDE - Plans have been finalized by the University of Rio Grande/Rio Grande Community College for the expansion of the Davis University Center. Work on on the project is expected to begin in late spring or early summer.

The Evan E. and Elizabeth F. Davis University Center contains Rio Grande's cafeteria, several conference rooms and other facilities. When the expansion is complete, it will also be home to a new game/recreation room, an outdoor terrace, and offices for student organizations, a Great Hall, a meeting room for the Rio Grande trustees and additional space for activities.

Paul Harrison, vice president for administrative and student affairs, said that the expansion project will add nearly 20,000 square feet of space to the Davis University Center, which will nearly double the size of the facility.

“One of the largest improvements in the building will be in the cafeteria, which will seat 150 more people, increasing the capacity to a total of 500,” Harrison said.

In addition, an open terrace will be constructed, so that faculty, staff, students and area residents will be able to eat out on the terrace, or just enjoy the fresh air. The terrace will be 90 feet long by 17 feet wide.

The food preparation area will also be improved and enlarged, giving the staff increased options for foods that can be prepared.

Along with the cafeteria on the second floor of the Davis University Center, Rio Grande will add several meeting rooms and a separate office for the board of trustees. Also on the second floor, a room recognizing people from southern Ohio who have made outstanding contributions to the region will be built.

One other improvement on the second floor is the simple addition of new restrooms, which will actually be very important because the facility currently does not have restrooms on the second floor.

On the first floor, Conference Room C will be expanded to seat between 250-300 people. Increasing the space in this room will allow Rio Grande to host more and larger campus and community meetings and events in the facility.

A large new game room will be built for Rio Grande students. This room will replace the current game room, the Red Zone, and will include games, a big-screen television, comfortable seating and other amenities.

“It's going to be much nicer than what we have now, and it will be a great place for students to visit and hang out during the day,” Harrison said.

The first floor will also feature places where students will be able to sit and study or work on their laptop computers via wireless access to the Internet.

Also on the first floor, an area described as a Great Hall is being built to house special events throughout the year. In addition, office space for student groups, new storage space and a new entrance will all be added on the first floor.

Work will begin on the Davis University Center in the late spring or early summer and is expected to take 18 months to complete. The cafeteria and the Davis University Center will remain open during the renovation work.

The Davis family has been very supportive of Rio Grande over the years, and it is fitting that the expanded student center, which will touch the lives of countless students in future years, is named after Evan and Elizabeth Davis.

For more information on the expansion of the Davis University Center, call Harrison at (800) 282-7201.