Anderson Student Center

In December 2009, the Executive Committee of the University of St. Thomas Board of Trustees approved construction of the Anderson Student Center on the northeast corner of Summit and Cretin avenues.

After receiving city-government approvals, St. Thomas began construction of the $66 million, 225,000-square-foot student center in May 2010. The building is expected to open in January 2012.

The Anderson Student Center will be named for St. Thomas trustee Lee Anderson and his wife, Penny, in recognition of their $60 million gift to the Opening Doors Capital Campaign. The $52 million athletic complex is scheduled to open in August 2010. The 725-space ramp opened in February 2009.

"The student center will serve as a wonderful gathering place that will tie together our north and south campuses," said Father Dennis Dease, president. "It will help us as we further strengthen our co-curricular programming, which is so vital to the overall development of our students."

"We like to say the student center will be our living room – the real heart of the campus that is so essential and that our students so truly deserve," said Jane Canney, vice president for student affairs.

The new student center will replace facilities now located in Murray-Herrick Campus Center. Murray Hall opened in 1960 to serve an undergraduate student population of about 1,900, and enrollment had grown to 4,300 when the Herrick Hall addition opened in 1989. Undergraduate enrollment today exceeds 5,900 in St. Paul, and there are 1,400 graduate students on the St. Paul campus.

The two wings of the L-shaped student center will face Summit and Cretin avenues. There will be two primary entrances, one facing Summit and the other facing an expanded lower quadrangle.

Features will include:

• Food. There will be three major dining areas: a student dining center on the second floor and a Grill-like restaurant and Scooter’s on the first floor. Coffee, smoothies and other beverages will be available in a third-floor venue.
• Recreation. A four-lane bowling center and dance floor will be on the lower level. Pool tables and electronic darts will be in Scooter’s, and another first-floor area recreation will include pingpong, foosball tables and flat-screen TVs for video games.
• Meeting rooms and offices. The Division of Student Affairs, Campus Ministry, Auxiliary Services and student organizations and clubs will be on the second and third levels. A large multi-purpose room on the third floor will provide flexible space for dinners, concerts, dances, lectures and other activities. A Hearth Room and 13 meeting rooms will be on the second and third floors of the Summit wing.
• Art. A permanent art gallery will house the American Museum of Asmat Art on the second floor. Space also will be available throughout the building for student and other exhibits.
• Stores. An emporium to purchase clothing and supplies and a C-Store both will be located on the first floor.
• Parking. About 115 underground spaces will be available for campus visitors, with access from Cretin Avenue.

St. Thomas is seeking silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the student center. Under consideration are energy-efficient mechanical systems, water conservation measures, highly insulated exterior wall and roofing systems, lighting controls and use of as much natural daylight as possible.