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18 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J u l y 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m F O C U S : C o l l e g e s & U n i v e r s i t i e s A new recreation and wellness center that prepares students for a healthy life long aer graduation. More space for classrooms and laboratories. New and renovated housing for students who live on campus. ese are a few examples of the upcoming physical changes to Quinnipiac University, which has three locations — including its Mount Carmel, York Hill and North Haven campuses. e Hamden-based university early this year unveiled a 10-year master facilities plan, "Designing Our Future." University leaders say it provides broad recommendations, and they are using it as a guide for what the university will look like in the coming decade. President Judy Olian called the plan a "flexible roadmap" for its long-term campus upgrades. Construction zone Quinnipiac embarks on becoming "University of the Future" Construction is underway at Quinnipiac University on a new recreation and wellness center on the Mount Carmel campus. By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo "is is the envisioning of what might be," Olian said. "Quinnipiac has always been a university with an eye on the future. is 10-year blueprint captures our vision for innovative opportunities and new initiatives that will enhance the learning and living experiences of our students, the Quinnipiac community, and surrounding towns." e university has an enrollment of roughly 9,700 students, who have a range of majors, from business and communications to education, engineering, medicine, nursing, arts and sciences. University leaders said they plan to keep enrollment levels stable, between 9,000 to 10,000. Ayers Saint Gross, a Baltimore-based architectural firm that specializes in colleges and universities, is working with Quinnipiac leaders and stakeholders on the effort. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and members of the Hamden and North Haven communities, have been giving input on what they want the campus to be like. If the university were to do everything recommended in the master plan, it would cost in the range of "hundreds of millions" of dollars, according to Olian. "at's why we are picking and choosing and sequencing it," she said. Quinnipiac plans to use a combination of capital budget funds, fundraising through philanthropic programs, and its endowment to finance the changes. Tuition will not be impacted by the projects, according to John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations. Preparing for life First up in the master plan: A project aimed at health, wellness and fun. Construction has already begun on a new $45 million, 60,000-square-foot Recreation & Wellness Center on the Mount Carmel campus, near its main entrance. Sal Filardi, Quinnipiac's vice president for facilities and capital planning, said leaders decided to build this center first because it "really is a project that everyone can use — from faculty to students." It will feature space and programming aimed at recreation and improving health, physical fitness and wellness. ere will be a rock climbing wall, space for yoga and meditation, a weight room and exercise space. It will have a central outdoor courtyard featuring a fire pit, where people can enjoy being outside together. "It will be all health and wellness under one roof, and should have a very positive impact on well-being," Filardi The entrance and common area of the new Recreation & Wellness Center.

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