Benedictine offers more amenities, programs to students

The recession that began in 2007 left hundreds of colleges and universities in an unhealthy financial condition. Many schools were forced to cut costs to remain fiscally viable.

Some schools cut services to students. One renowned eastern institution got rid of weekday hot breakfasts at undergraduate dormitories. Others cut programs and academic offerings. The computer science department at one major southern university was gutted entirely.

But while some schools are cutting back, Benedictine University in Lisle is investing in the future. This fall, Benedictine is unveiling a number of new amenities designed to serve students and enhance their college experience.

The amenities include a $3 million construction project in Kindlon Hall that includes a new library; the addition of four classrooms; and new football locker and golf practice facilities at the Dan and Ada Rice Center.

Benedictine also is offering new majors like those in business analytics and exercise and sports studies aimed at increasing students’ employment opportunities.

“We believe that offering our students greatly improved learning facilities and academic programs that are relevant is the right thing to do,” Executive Vice President Charles Gregory said. “We want to improve their college experience and create an atmosphere where they can grow as students and as people.

“We also believe that projects like these will help us continue to grow and ensure our ability to provide a quality, values-based Benedictine education to future generations of Benedictine students,” he added.

New library, lockers

The new Benedictine University Library opened its doors after the completion of a three-month construction project that included the build-out of the lower level of the Kindlon Hall and a reconfiguration of the second and third floors of the Kindlon tower.

The previously unused lower level of Kindlon Hall was converted into a repository for the university’s collection of more than 101,000 non-reference volumes. The second floor of the library has been designated as the Reading Room, which features a soft furniture area, study tables and a computer lab.

The third floor has been designated the “Study and Research Center” and is home to the library’s collection of reference material and the offices of three information technology technicians and six library staff members.

The new $1.7 million Borsellino Family Football Center, a locker and meeting facility for the school’s football team, and the $600,000 state-of-the-art indoor Bartlett Golf Center — both completed in late August — demonstrate the Division III university’s commitment to student athletics.

The Borsellino Family Football Center is a 4,100-square-foot locker facility on the west side of the Rice Center that includes new exterior construction and renovation of two indoor racquetball courts, which had served primarily as storage for the past 10 years.

The center includes 120 hardwood lockers, a “chalk-talk” multimedia area and a Champions Room honoring former Benedictine greats.

The Bartlett Golf Center occupies the former weight room area on the mezzanine level of the Rice Center and contains interactive golf simulators, complete with 12-foot-wide screens. Two 360-degree systems of infrared beams provide exact and immediate ball-flight statistics with live and fluid 3-D environments and multiple camera angles.

The center will be used primarily for the men’s and women’s golf teams, but will be available to all students through student activities and physical education courses. The center also includes a putting green and chipping area.

Academic programs

New academic programs include a bachelor of business administration in business analytics to equip students with skills to work within organizations seeking to improve their performance.

Organizations that use analytics are five times more successful than their competitors, according to a recent survey by the MIT Sloan School of Management and IBM Institute of Business Value.

Benedictine also is giving students access to tools like the Bloomberg Professional service, which is used by banks, investment institutions and law firms worldwide to analyze market information.

This service will help students eventually complete the Bloomberg Certification Program, which will give them an advantage in the workplace as they pursue professional careers.

The expansion in physical facilities and academic offerings at Benedictine has been fueled by growth in student population during the past decade. Recently, The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Benedictine as the fastest-growing campus in the United States among private nonprofit research institutions from 2000-2010.

This fall, Benedictine welcomed more than 800 new traditional undergraduate students, including a record 497 freshmen, an increase of nearly 62 percent from just 10 years ago.

That growth has made more funds available to offer improved facilities, stronger academic programs and financial assistance to students in need. Benedictine’s growth also has attracted a loyal base of donors, whose generosity has increased the university’s ability to provide more scholarships to students.