In an email to the American University community on Friday, President Sylvia Burwell shared new details for the Student Thriving Complex that is expected to be completed in 2026.
The complex has a $103 million investment behind it and is a part of the University’s Change Can’t Wait campaign, which was announced in May 2021. In the email, Burwell said there will be “three vital hubs for student life” that the complex will include.
According to the email, the Student Thriving Complex will house new wellness facilities including the Center for Well-Being Programs and Psychological Services, the Student Health Center and have “a dedicated focus on preventative health activities, with opportunities ranging from yoga to healthy eating.”
Additionally, the Complex will host the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance, which will include “state-of-the-art competition, practice, sports medicine, locker room, and training facilities,” and will be the first new athletics and recreational construction on campus in more than 30 years.
Renovations to Mary Graydon Center will also take place starting in 2024. According to the email, the goal of the renovation is to “meet students where they are, both today and in the future.”
Included in the email were mock-ups of the new buildings that are to be constructed by 2026 and details of shifting locations for current offices on campus. Construction for the Complex and the renovations for MGC are both slated to begin in 2024 and finish by the spring 2026 semester.
This summer, the campus store will move to the current location of Eagle’s Nest in the tunnel, and the Eagle’s Nest will move to the former Capital One Bank location across from the entrance to Bender Arena.
Burwell also announced plans for moving current facilities on campus, including consolidating the Academic Support and Access Center offices to the location of the current campus store in Butler Pavilion. This move will take place in the spring 2024 semester.
President Burwell wrote that collaboration with the AU Neighborhood Partnership and the Community Liaison Committee is included in plans for the project. The University plans to file further processing applications for the Meltzer Center project with the D.C. Zoning Commission in the future.
Abigail Hatting, Natasha LaChac and Katie Mass contributed reporting to this article.
This article was edited by Abigail Pritchard, Jordan Young, and Nina Heller. Copy editing done by Isabelle Kravis and Sophia Rocha.
csturniolo@theeagleonline.com and swinick@theeagleonline.com
