Donors to UMBC, including faculty, staff and the public, got a sneak preview of the 148,000 square foot, $35 million new University Commons building during Homecoming Weekend. Insights was lucky enough to tag along to bring our readers details of the futuristic center that will soon give the campus community a wealth of new horizons for shopping, dining, entertainment, meeting, working and just hanging out.
University Center director Joe Regier, along with Maryland Stadium Authority officials and other volunteers, led several groups on a walking tour of the enormous, modern and colorful building that will soon be the 21st century hub of campus life. "The Commons,” as the three-story facility is known, seems even more spacious due to a design emphasis on glass exterior walls and high ceilings that elegantly connect to three outdoor terraces of rolling grass and an outdoor patio area for dining, socializing and soaking up the sun.
"The creation of "The Commons' has been and continues to be a huge collaborative undertaking for the University,” says Regier. "Work accomplished by various University committees, offices and student organizations will soon be on view. Special thanks go to the Vice-Presidents for Administration and Student Affairs, Mark Behm and Charles Fey and their associates: the members of the Commons Oversight and Steering Committees, along with Leland Beitel, associate vice-president for administration; Nancy Quantock, director of capital planning; Clolita Williams, assistant vice-president for administrative services; Bob Somers, bookstore manager; Oscar Beringer, director of university food service; and Gary McGuigan of the Maryland Stadium Authority who managed the project for the University,” Regier says.
"A special thanks and congratulations to the University Center and Student Life staff for their hard work and input,” says Regier. "The list goes on and on with enormous contributions by many departments and individuals. UMBC must indeed be proud of itself in all that it has accomplished by bringing such as a remarkable facility to its students, faculty and staff.”
The new Commons opens for limited food service and campus bookstore access on January 2, and will become fully operational in time for a ribbon cutting ceremony on January 28, the first day of spring classes. The new building will be open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday with weekend opening hours a little later.
A 35-foot information desk wrapped with an LED information display and video monitors will
greet visitors entering the North entrance facing the Library. Behind the information desk and offices is the Cabaret, a two-story entertainment venue and lounge. It is expected to be a hot spot for socials and small variety acts.
The high-tech look and feel of the entertainment areas is further enhanced by the fact that the entire building is a wireless computing environment. Students will be able to check out wireless laptops from the information desk and use high-speed Internet connections to access MyUMBC or other online sites from anywhere in the building.
The second floor to the east will feature space for 24 student organizations and several student activity centers such as the Student Involvement Center, the Greek Life Office, Multicultural Center, Student Government Association offices and the Student Events Board. Other familiar faces will relocate to the new Commons, including the Campus Bookstore, which will move into a spanking new, two-story space that includes retail and textbook sales floors as well as staff offices.
The university's convenience store currently located in the University Center ground floor will also move to the new Commons, with new neighbors including a rapid copy and color printing service. Negotiations are underway for a full-service bank branch with two ATMs to be in the Commons. The SECU and Chevy Chase ATMs will remain at their University Center location.
The building's mezzanine level, which has a view of the swimming pool to the south and Erickson Hall to the north, is home to a late night grill and associated lounge. An open ceiling design creates an inviting space for hundreds of diners on the first floor's southern exposure with seating for 300 plus additional booth seating on the interior wall. Food options include Jazzman's Café, a chicken option, wood-fired pizza, pasta, salad, southwestern, comfort foods, Asian-Pacific, delicatessen, grab and go plus a variety of beverages. A coffeehouse venue will offer periodic entertainment to go along with pastries and will appear in the southern entrance.
Like the rest of UMBC in the near future, the Commons is going cashless. Customers can add value to their red UMBC Campus Card using any of six machines in the building or from the information desk. Switching to cashless speeds up service by a factor of three, while increasing hygiene, decreasing security concerns, and creating a record of usage for customers.
The gameroom is sure to be a popular destination. It will feature billiards tables, a large screen video screen, video games, a removable dance floor equipped with robotic lighting and a removable stage for live bands. Main Street is the name for the large, central concourse that will feature retail kiosks, information tables, seasonal sales and a video board, providing the latest information about events on campus and student life activities.
A restaurant and meeting room combination is a highlight of the third floor. The restaurant will serve brunch and lunch until 2 p.m., converting into a meeting space for campus community groups later in the day. The third floor formal lounge attached to the restaurant features striking modern wood paneling and a marble tiled fireplace. This facility will be used for student leadership awards, faculty receptions, media interviews and other special events.
The third floor will also house many offices for many groups including the Graduate Student Association, Student Affairs, Commons Administration and Student Life. The floor will also be home to eight multipurpose meeting rooms for broad campus use.
Trust us, this is a cool place that you'll just have to see for yourself to believe. The Insights staff looks forward to seeing you at "The Commons” next year!
