The Westminster College campus has been bustling with activity this summer as physical plant crews have been relocating offices and making upgrades to academic, athletic and recreational spaces in time for the start of the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 26.

All told, this summer’s projects—most completed and some still ongoing—represent almost $6.3 million in campus upgrades, continuing the more than $50 million invested in campus improvements since 2016.

“We continue to invest in the campus learning and living environment at Westminster so that our students and employees can have the resources and spaces needed for outstanding educational experiences,” said Westminster College President Dr. Kathy Brittain Richardson. “We are grateful for the support from our donors that is making these improvements possible.”

Most of this summer’s upgrades are evident, such as the renovations to the Westminster Natatorium or office relocations.

Renovations to the Memorial Field House’s Westminster Natatorium, home of the Titan swimming and diving program, are currently under way and expected to be completed by late September. The natatorium closed in November 2023 for emergency repairs to the pool’s mechanical room. In addition to addressing those necessary repairs and replacing pumps and filters, the pool—which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025—was also replastered and lane lines were tiled. Lighting and the spectator viewing area are also being upgraded.

Also on the athletics side, other athletic improvements include replacement of the floorboards of the Ron Galbreath basketball court and the wooden bleachers in the Buzz Ridl Gymnasium have been replaced.

Students arriving on campus this fall will find the new Student Success Center on the second floor of McKelvey Campus Center. The center brings together the TRIO Student Support Services program, the Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement, the Office of Academic Success and the Office of Disability Resources. This one-stop shop is available to help students with tutoring, academic coaching, support for living and learning with various disabilities and other services.

The first floor of Old Main—the campus’ hallmark building—now houses the Office of the Registrar, the central office for student course scheduling and registration, transcript processing, transfer credit evaluations and more. The All-College Honors Lounge—a space for honors students to gather, socialize and study—has also relocated to the first floor of Old Main.

For those students seeking Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees at Westminster, they will now be able to train in the new high-fidelity nursing simulation lab on the second floor of Hoyt Science Center. The facility features five manikins, standard medical equipment such as beds and crash carts, an observation room with recording equipment and three-dimensional anatomy and physiology tablets. This space will also be available to local first responders for honing their lifesaving skills.

The Clarence and Mary Ann Harms Center for the Environment, located on the first floor of Hoyt Science Center, is the home for Westminster’s environmental science and environmental studies programs. The center features faculty offices, gathering areas and collaborative learning spaces for students interested in promoting sustainability and environmental stewardship. The center, which also offers a connection to the campus greenhouse, was named for Westminster College Professor of Biology Emeritus Dr. Clarence Harms and his late wife Mary Ann Harms ’79. Dr. Harms taught at Westminster from 1969 to 2003 and continued serving as the director of the College’s Field Station and Outdoor Laboratory until his full retirement in 2019.
 
Other work over the summer included:

•    Installation of a permanent gas fire pit and benches outside of Eichenauer Hall. The gathering space overlooks the UPMC Sports Complex’s soccer and lacrosse field.
•    Expansion of the Marge Walker Center in Old 77. Used for student fitness and recreation, the center will now feature additional free weights and weight machines, as well as upgraded fitness equipment.
•    Technology upgrades and addition of a showcase wall in a School of Business classroom located in Thompson-Clark Hall.
•    Refreshing the Titan Club dining area with reupholstered booths, new flooring and added food service venues. Galbreath Dining will be upgraded over winter break.

The College will also be replacing the steam line that runs from the central boilers in the Galbreath Hall to Shaw Hall. This project is expected to be completed by mid-October.

Lab stations in the physics lab in Hoyt Science Center are also being replaced with modern stations. Work is expected to be completed in January 2025.

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