New Buildings Dot KU Campus

If you haven’t been back to Kutztown in a year, you may be surprised by a few big additions to the growing campus. Across from Keystone Hall, the new Recreation Center has changed the landscape on south campus. This two-story 56,000 square foot facility includes a fitness center, multi-activity gyms, rock climbing wall, racket ball courts, and dance studios. It also features a student lounge and juice bar, and is equipped with wireless internet access throughout. The Recreation Center will be opened to students later this month as part of their semester enrollment.

The Academic Forum, a new two-story academic facility featuring 7 large state-of-the-art classrooms and a 200 seat food court is in the final stages of construction between Boehm Science Building and Lytle Hall. The campus mail room, copy center and print shop will also relocate to the 64,000 square foot Forum later this year. “The Forum is another step in bringing the latest technology to our students,” says university president Javier Cevallos, “and will do so in a building that will enhance the beauty of our campus”. The building is scheduled for completion by November, and will serve as the venue for this year’s Scholarship Ball. It will appear on student and faculty course schedules in January 2007.

The campus heating plant, first installed in 1936 to the south of Old Main, will be replaced by summer 2007 as part of an effort to reduce heating costs and pollution. In June, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new plant. "It has been about nine years since the initial heating plant project was originally identified in the capital budgeting process," Cevallos said. "We are certainly happy that this day is finally here, and are thankful to those who helped us reach this point.”