Jacksonville State University to Break Ground on Three Construction Projects

Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala., recently announced that it will begin construction on three new campus buildings in the coming weeks, according to a university news release. The facilities include a new residence hall, a new dining facility, and a new football operations center.

The North Village Residence Hall will have a capacity of 513 and is scheduled to open in fall 2024. The first new on-campus housing facility since 2010, it will feature double-occupancy rooms with two bathrooms per unit. The ground floor will act as a gathering hub and communal space for residence and offer a game room, TV room, conference room, laundry room, outdoor seating, and a storm shelter, the news release reports.

The Jax State Dining Hall will replace the existing Jack Hopper Dining Hall, which is more than 60 years old. It will feature a larger dining space, administrative offices, and an executive dining room, as well as a cafeteria-type food line with concept stations and a prep kitchen.

Finally, the Loring and Debbie White Football Complex will replace JSU Stadium’s existing field house. Amenities are set to include a game day club, players’ lounge, and field club area on the ground floor, as well as suites and corporate super suites on the second. It will also house training equipment, hydrotherapy, technology, coaches’ offices, and meeting rooms, according to the press release.

“JSU continues to be a progressive institution with its dramatic campus transformation capital projects,” said Dr. Kevin Hoult, associate vice president of auxiliary and business services. “The university’s reimagined campus spaces will enhance a thriving living and learning community that serves present needs—and well into the future.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • school building with glowing circuit board patterns

    AI Is Coming to Schools — But Most School Buildings Still Run on Institutional Memory

    As school districts race to introduce AI into classrooms, administration, and curriculum planning, another conversation is happening behind the scenes: How prepared are school facilities themselves for the operational demands AI will create?

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • Minnesota District Converts Middle School into Community Hub

    White Bear Lake Area Schools in White Bear Lake, Minn., recently announced the end of a major renovation project that converted a former middle school into a new centralized district and community hub, according to a news release.