Chester, Pa. — The university will break ground on the $21 million living/learning hall this summer.
New housing at Widener University.Chester, Pa. — Widener University will break ground this summer on a new 200-bed residence hall at 15th and Potter streets in Chester to address growing housing needs on campus due to increases in undergraduate enrollment and student retention, according to the university.
The new residence hall will include food service on the first floor and classrooms for a living/learning community model. The estimated cost of the new residence hall is $21 million.
Last fall, Widener welcomed 827 freshmen to campus, the university’s largest-ever incoming class, and had a four percent increase in retention of students from the freshman to sophomore year.
“We have introduced new majors, made a strong commitment to increasing financial aid and invested more than $150 million in infrastructure over the past decade,” says Widener President James T. Harris III. “All of these factors, and other initiatives, have led to an increase in undergraduate student enrollment and retention and the demand for more student housing.”
The residence hall is being designed by Kimmel-Bogrette Architecture + Site of Conshohocken, Pa., and will be built according to LEED standards by IMC Construction of Malvern, Pa.
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