Building Continues on Campus: What You Need to Know

By Siobhan Donaldson | Published by September 23, 2019

In 2018, construction began on several new building projects that were to further students’ education and resources. While many of the upgrades are set to open in 2020, specifically Hynes Hall and the Miron Student Center, staff and students said they are adapting around the changing landscape.

The projects include a new Commuter Resource Center, connected to the Nancy Thompson Library, that will offer expanded services for commuter students, a  renovation to the Science Building to update their student lab facilities with modern equipment and a new international food station in the Miron Student Center’s student food court. 

“I just found out about the Miron Center recently,” said Adora Oku a Cell-Molecular Biology student in her junior year. “I think it’s cool.”

The MSC will also have redesigned bathrooms; expanded space for new student programs; an expansion of the Greek Lounge so clubs and organizations on campus have large space to hold events; and new MSC administrative offices.

“Our students, clubs, and organizations are excited about the possibilities that this new space will bring to the Miron Student Center,” said Kerrin Lyles, MSC director.

One of the largest projects, Hynes Hall, will house all of Kean’s undergraduate and graduate business programs. The building is set to open in Fall 2019 alongside the Vermella, a mixed-use retail and luxury apartment space. The 90,000 square foot structure will have access to Bloomberg business intelligence software and a ‘Library in the Sky,’ which is a virtual library on the planned top floor of Hynes.

It is being built by Natoli Construction Corporation of Pine Brook, who has done work on the Statue of Liberty and the Medieval Times Arena Theater in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Kean university pays for these projects using a Capital Investment fee, which is paid for by students to repay debts and fund building projects not covered by bonds. This fee increased from $60 per credit in 2015 to $68.50 per credit in the 2019-2020 school year. 

“Kean University is dedicated to providing our students with world-class facilities while also working diligently to ensure that our tuition and fees remain among the lowest in New Jersey,” said Margaret McCorry, director of media relations for Kean, “Each of the current projects will move the University forward by providing enhanced academic and student services.”

The Liberty Hall Museum and Academic Center opened a new hall on the Liberty Hall Campus this fall. The building has new offices for the history department, as well as classrooms and an exhibition space for museum pieces to be displayed. 

These new projects were assisted by the facilities and campus planning interns, who had a helping hand in laying the groundwork in the planning process. Violeta Jaya, a senior Architecture student, did the technical drawings of Hynes Hall and the new Commuter Center, which then were moved into 3-D modeling and renders by Hugo Burgos, a senior architecture student. Other essential processes were handled by Jeremy Gusset, Gabriella Lentini and other interns. 

“It’s exciting!” Lentini said. “The new buildings are opening up for people who don’t have the same experiences as we do, we spend a lot of time with these things because of our major. It’s exciting for other students.”

Burgos said he enjoyed the process of putting it together. 

“You’re aware of the campus more, you see what the buildings are like before anyone else does- the process itself,” he said.

Not all students said they are happy about the new construction. 

Students such as Rose Quetant, a senior Biology major, said she is not happy about the construction. She is more concerned with her education at the moment, focusing on her commute in the morning and current classes. 

 “I would rather have them focus on building up the internal parts than the external parts” Jacques Quetant, Rose’s sibling, added to her statement. He is a senior completing his second bachelor’s degree at Kean University.

The new upgrades are for the benefit of students, said Jeremy Gusset, Facilities and Campus Planning Intern.

“We’re looking at the long run, we want to open up more programs because Kean is unique. When you juggle so many projects, sometimes things like this happen.”

 

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