Mary Baldwin University kicked off the spring semester with the opening of its Center for Student Success, a shared space on the first floor of Grafton Library that brings together academic and career resources. The university is also moving ahead with several more campus improvements to help support students.

Work will soon begin on MBU’s first collegiate, regulation-size soccer field, to be located in the field next to the Physical Activities Center (PAC). The soccer field contract has been awarded to Carolina Green Corporation, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based firm specializing in athletic field construction. They have built fields for many of the elite Division I universities and colleges, including the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina, and Duke University. They also build fields for professional sports teams. Work on the new Bermuda grass field with a new recreational track around it will begin in early April with a scheduled completion date of mid-August. Planning is also underway to make upgrades to the PAC.

Kahler-Slater Architects, the same firm that designed the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences, is working with MBU to design improvements to the third floor of Pearce Science Center, as well as classroom 401. The work has been made possible through a Carpenter Foundation grant and also a gift from the Class of 1967. Construction of this project is expected to begin later this year.

Physical Plant crews continue sprucing up campus, with interior paint jobs throughout Hunt Hall and portions of Carpenter Academic, and the exterior of Wenger Hall. New site furniture and new waste receptacles have been purchased for the campus, and a number of new banners are being placed on the light poles.

This week, a new student lounge opens up on the ground floor or Wenger Hall, giving a students a place to hang out, chat, play ping pong, and more.

In addition, over spring break the Office of Information Technology upgraded the MBU WiFi network by replacing 45 aging access points (APs) using older technology with 45 new, contemporary APs that deliver more robust capabilities. Hardware was also upgraded to support the new APs.

Photo: Students enjoy a meal inside Hunt Dining Hall, which was freshly painted this spring.