After years of planning and fundraising, The College of St. Scholastica officially opened its brand-new student center on September 3, something the campus always lacked.

“It was something the students were asking us for, for a long time. We truly believe the student center is going to be a place of belonging.” Says CSS President Dr. Barbara McDonald.

The 17,000 square foot facility features study space, an art gallery, and a café. Students were consulted in the design process to ensure the center felt like other buildings on campus. Though the construction of the building took about 16 months, the idea was formed long before that.

“I was a student here in 1997 to 2001,” explains Chris Dolan, who served on the fundraising committee, “We were talking about it in that time how amazing it would be to have a separate space with students to get to know one another, to study, to build those relationships that are such an important part of college experience.”

The new student center was built at a cost of around $17 million.