The projects, which the university called unprecedented and said have a total economic impact of $37 million, are the result of the One Thousand Days Transformed: The Campaign for Cedarville initiative that received $132.4 million in financial commitments toward its $175 million goal.
Rod Johnson, associate vice president for operations, said the summer work reflects the university’s commitment to provide the best learning facilities and campus experience for students when school begins in August.
“There’s no doubt this has been the busiest summer for construction and renovation projects at Cedarville University in a very long time — maybe in the history of the university,” he said.
Construction crews have continued work on the new Lorne C. Scharnberg Business Center, and replaced flooring in the Dixon Ministry Center, Engineering and Science Center and Centennial Library.
Some of the work will be more visible to the community, such as repairing parking lots and sidewalks, repairing roofing, installing a new HVAC unit in the Centennial Library and performing routine preventative maintenance, as well as the new Panda Express restaurant in the Stevens Student Center that will open in August and the new furniture in several residence halls.
Recently, there were 115 construction works and contractors on campus working on five of the 45 projects.
In fall 2022, the university broke ground on its largest current construction project, the Scharnberg Business Center, which is scheduled to open in August 2024. The 65,000-squre-foot, $40 million project will provide business, communication and cybersecurity students with classrooms and labs; an Einstein Bagels shop; a 500-seat auditorium used for large gatherings and classes, and serve as an overflow for the daily chapel program, which currently is inside the Dixon Ministry Center that seats 3,400 students.
University leaders are also preparing for more students living on the campus since they had their 14th consecutive record enrollment and expect another one for August.
“That’s why Cedarville is near to completing Morton Hall, a residence hall that will open in August, while also constructing a housing village along the southwestern edge of campus that will provide housing for 350 students,” Tomlinson said.
Enrollment has increased by 2,044 students in 14 years, steadily climbing from 3,038 in 2009 to 5,082 last year. This coming year for 2023-24, the admissions department shows another record enrollment with an overall total number of enrolled students surpassing 5,100 for the first time in history.
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