2014-15 Update - Benedictine 2020

New Projects Highlight College's Transformation Plan

Benedictine College's campus has seen significant changes in the 2014-15 year. It is all a part of Benedictine 2020: A Vision for Greatness, Benedictine College’s bold, innovative plan to build one of America’s Great Catholic Colleges.

Benedictine 2020 is achieving its vision to:

Educate America's future leaders
Build for greatness
Develop a world-class faculty

Campus Transformation

New construction showcases the college's commitment to becoming a market leader in each aspect of its mission: community, faith and scholarship.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Residence Hall

Benedictine College has opened 11 new residence halls since the year 2000. Our Lady of Guadalupe Hall is a 30,000 square foot, four-story facility that adds 120 beds for women. Each floor and each room will carry a unique Marian theme. The outside of the building features 12 stars to represent Mary’s crown as described in the Book of Revelation, Chapter 12. Inside, the building features a one-of-a-kind Ash wood statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe donated to the college by President Stephen D. and Amy Minnis.

Dining Hall

Students will notice the new Dining Hall in the middle of campus. The Dining Hall is transformed inside and out, and expanded to 850 seats. The Dining hall entry is now an indoor hallway, and the “food court” layout will allow students more options, including the Mongolian Grill concept and other stations.

Clock Tower

Thanks to the generosity of Bob and Janet Wholey and their family, the Dining Hall exterior will feature a clock tower, featuring four clock faces visible from the north, south, east and west. The tower was dedicated to St. John XXIII on the day of his canonization.

Student Success Center

The Student Success Center’s new location will be adjacent to the Dining Hall. The Center is a key part of Benedictine College’s student-centered mission, providing career development, academic services and graduate school support.

St. Juan Diego Chapel

Msgr. Eduardo Chávez Sánchez will be on hand to dedicate Benedictine College’s newest chapel, located in Guadalupe Hall, named for St. Juan Diego, who saw Our Lady of Guadalupe. Chavez was postulator for the cause of St. Juan Diego, who was canonized on July 31, 2002.

Mary’s Garden

Benedictine College’s newest park will be built to the west of Guadalupe Hall, just north of the soccer field. Mary’s Garden will feature a fountain and plants named for or associated with devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The park will feature benches where students can enjoy the juniper, roses, irises, periwinkle and other greenery.

Lemke Hall

A new residence hall named for Father Henry Lemke, a founder of Benedictine College, is set to open this fall. Lemke Hall is one of the 11 new residence halls to open since the year 2000. Lemke Hall is a new addition to the Legacy Apartment complex, adding another 96 beds for junior and senior men.

New Parking

Two new parking lots will be added to campus. A new parking lot where the baseball field used to be will offer 214 new spots and a new lot next to Lemke Hall will offer 40 additional parking spaces. Benedictine College issues about 900 free parking permits per year and will now provide 1,440 parking spots for visitors, faculty, students and staff.

Wangari Maathai Statue

Students will pass a new statue of the late Dr. Wangari Maathai along the entryway to campus. Maathai is the only graduate of a U.S. Catholic college to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai, the founder of the Greenbelt Movement in Kenya, would have celebrated her 50-year reunion this summer. Her classmates helped fund the statue and unveiled it in June.

Campuswide Technology Upgrade

Benedictine College announced that new campus-wide technology upgrades make the school one of the most advanced campuses of its size in the nation.

Academic Emphasis

The strategic plan, Benedictine 2020: A Vision for Greatness, was designed to build one of the great Catholic colleges in America. The plan calls for the “technological infrastructure needed to serve our mission with class, professionalism and excellence.”

Classroom Technology. After two years spent upgrading all classroom technology, the college has replaced all classroom technology and is adding more iPad enabled classrooms.
Computer Labs. The college has added nearly 50 new computers to its computer labs in Westerman, Cray Seaberg, Mother Teresa Nursing Center and Ferrell Academic Center’s Education floor.
Wireless Printing. The college will add seven WEPA wireless printers on campus, using the cloud system found at many major universities. Based on a study of Raven printing habits most students will receive all their printing (175 pages or less) free of charge. Students can print from the cloud at seven locations including the Library, Ferrell Academic Center, Student Success Center (adjacent to Dining Hall), and St. John Paul II Student Center.

Top-Tier Wi-Fi

To meet the growing demand for wireless access, the college has added wireless bandwidth in excess of that found in 85% of colleges of comparable size.

All Buildings Wireless. As of Fall 2014, all campus buildings have wireless access. The college’s 29 buildings are served 290 wireless access points, virtually eliminating dead spots.
All Residence Halls Wi-Fi and Wired. In addition to wireless access, all residence halls now have high-speed capable wired Internet access as well.

Leading-Edge Presentation Technology

As the campus adds presentation venues on campus including the new Dining Hall and the McAllister Board Room in the Ferrell Academic Center, the college continues to improve existing venues.

Lighting has been improved in the O’Malley-McAllister Auditorium, with new high performance lighting and stage lights.
Sound quality has been vastly improved with a digital sound board and mixer, 19 new microphones and a feedback reduction system.
Updates include the addition of a Blue Ray player and new paint, lighting, stairs and wiring in the sound room.

Data Security

The college is protecting the security of information by implementing industry best practices, from password protocols to data storage.

Backup Services. Enhancements have been made to the backup system already had in place. The college will now back-up critical data to two off-site locations, with on-site backup to critical and share-drive data.