What's New Around Campus
Visits to Benedictine begin at the Neff Welcome Center
The Neff Farmhouse, one of the oldest stone structures in DuPage County and which until recently had been used as a home by the school's retired caretaker, was incorporated into the center.
The 2,700-square-foot welcome center also includes event space, freshman admissions offices, a conference room and a brick patio for University and alumni events and gatherings. The center fully extends the University's welcoming spirit to all visitors.
Borsellino Family Football Center is the envy of Division III
The Benedictine University football team, which won back-to-back Northern Athletics Conference titles in 2010 and 2011 and made consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III football championships, has a new place to call home.
The Borsellino Family Football Center, a 4,100-square-foot locker facility made possible in large part by the generosity of the Borsellino family of Oak Brook, opened last August as part of the renovation of the Dan and Ada Rice Center.
The new locker facility, located on the west side of the building and taking in part of the old racquetball courts, includes 130 hardwood lockers, a "chalk talk" multimedia area, a team showering facility and a "Champions Room" honoring past Eagles greats.
Evolving Majors Prepare Students for Today's World
Benedictine University is always striving to provide students with the tools to succeed. That includes offering majors that fit the needs of business, health and education. Two recent additions are noted here.
Business Analytics Is a Growing Field
The Business Analytics major is designed to address the growing demand for people with analytical skills and strong backgrounds in business fundamentals. Students who major in Business Analytics receive thorough exposure to analytics-related principles and the hands-on tools used in today's business. Classes focus on how analytics is applied to managerial decisions in business.
The program prepares students for careers in corporate management across most business functions, management and data analysis, analytical consulting, financial planning, project management and investment banking.
Exercise and Sports Studies Major Offers Entry Into World Of Sports
An emphasis on health and physical fitness in the United States has created a large number of rewarding careers in collegiate or professional athletics, strength and conditioning, personal training, corporate fitness, and at community organizations like park districts or the local YMCA.
Benedictine now offers a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Exercise and Sports Studies major that provides students an opportunity to enter those areas without completing a teacher education program. The major can also lead to graduate study in Clinical Exercise Physiology.
The Exercise and Sports Studies major includes courses in sports administration, sports psychology, sports law, drug use and prevention, the care of injuries, current issues in health, and a wide range of topics related to health and fitness.
Nearer My God to Thee (Chapel Moves to Fourth Floor of Kindlon)
The St. Benedict Chapel, which for years was located in the lower level of the Krasa Center, has moved to the fourth floor of the Kindlon Hall of Learning where it shares space with the new, expanded offices of University Ministry.
The added space allows University Ministry to better meet the spiritual needs of the Benedictine community while providing a permanent home for the Center for Mission and Identity, now under the full-time direction of Assistant to the President for Mission Integration Alicia Tait, D.M.A., and the Office of Intercultural Education led by Carol Swett.
The chapel offers daily Mass at noon in addition to other prayer services and adoration times throughout the year.
Plans Proceeding for Construction of New Business Building
The vacant area between the Kindlon Hall of Learning and the Coal Ben will eventually be home to a high-tech, multi-story business building that will offer students a new level of learning.
In addition to classrooms, study areas and offices, the building will house the College of Business' internationally-recognized doctoral programs in Organization Development and Values-Driven Leadership. Tentative plans include a 600-seat auditorium which will facilitate lectures and symposiums by some of the leading business thinkers in the world.
The building will also enhance Benedictine's partnerships with universities and corporations around the world, and attract top-tier students and educators.
Students Can Golf Like a Pro at the Bartlett Golf Center
Benedictine University's golf teams now have access to a state-of-the-art, indoor training facility that allows student-athletes to practice and perfect their skills all year long at the new $600,000 Bartlett Golf Center in the Dan and Ada Rice Center.
The facility, made possible in part by the generosity of Bill and Gayle Bartlett, contains interactive golf simulators complete with 12-foot-wide screens and two 360-degree systems of infrared beams that provide exact and immediate ball-flight statistics with live and fluid 3-D environments and multiple camera angles.
The center is primarily used by the golf teams, but is also available to all students through student activities and physical education courses. The center also includes a putting green and chipping area—making it a truly exceptional facility.
Benedictine Library Gets Major Facelift, New Space
Library users want quiet reading and study areas, while also looking for a place to meet and socialize. They want computers to access timely information and cutting-edge research, but they also want to be able to get their hands on printed resources not available online.
Members of the Benedictine community now have such a facility at their fingertips. The new Benedictine University Library opened its doors last fall following completion of a three-month, $3 million construction project.
The project included the buildout of the lower level of the Kindlon Hall of Learning—which now features four new high-tech classrooms—and a reconfiguration of the second and third floors of the Kindlon tower into a reading room, an interactive area and an information technology help center.
Services Center Now Open in Mesa, Ariz.
Seeking to further enhance its reputation as a leading provider of outstanding academic programs and to achieve its mission of graduating students who are good citizens and good stewards of society, Benedictine began its expansion into Mesa, Ariz., this fall.
The University, which will become the first Catholic institution of higher education in Arizona, began business operations at a service center at 51 E. Main St. and will offer classes beginning September 2013 at 225 E. Main St., both located in downtown Mesa.
Initial degree offerings will include a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Arts in Theology, Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and Organizational Behavior, in addition to a minor in Religious Studies.
A Person's Health Is a Terrible Thing to Waist
The University unveiled a new $6.7 million fitness center, training facility and office project in October 2011, part of the much broader renovation and revitalization of the Dan and Ada Rice Center.
The fitness facility encompasses more than 11,000 square feet, and includes a 7,500- square-foot lower level dedicated to cardio and circuit training and a 4,200-square-foot strength training mezzanine that contains both free weights and strength training equipment to cater to a variety of users.
The project also included the construction of an advanced training facility featuring six training tables and hot and cold water tubs, coaches' offices and classrooms, the Benedictine Hall of Fame and a conference room overlooking the rejuvenated Rice Center Arena.
A Sign of Attraction
For nearly 20 years, the electronic sign on the corner of Maple Avenue and College Road has been passers-by's first visual contact with the University. The sign provided information on open houses, sporting events, visiting lecturers, concerts and community news.
The sign also reminded students that they may be running later to class, but would not be too cold once they stepped outside their car.
But parts for the aged sign were increasingly difficult to find, necessitating the construction of a new LED message center that will continue to provide passers-by, students, staff and visitors with the latest University and community information.
