Where Function Meets Form

New Center for Student Services houses dining facilities, academic and career advising programs

| From Investing in a new BU | By Leslie Friday. Videos by Joseph Chan

In the video above, take a tour through the new Center for Student Services. Below, watch videos about the center’s dining facilities and design.

It’s hard to say which feature of the new Center for Student Services at 100 Bay State Road wows the most: the tandoori treats and gluten-free goodies in the dining facilities, the green building features, the shower for biking commuters, or the convenience of having several academic and career advising services together under one roof.

Scott Rosario of BU’s Dining Services talks about the new places to enjoy a variety of food. Click to watch the video

The first two floors of the $65 million, 120,000-plus-square-foot center, which opened in September, are dedicated to dining and seat more than 1,000 people. The four floors above that house the Educational Resource Center (ERC), the Center for Career Development (CCD), and several College of Arts & Sciences writing and advising programs. The basement has a bakery and coffee shop, a late-night kitchen and function room, bike storage, and cyclist shower facilities.

The center’s activities are supported by donations from several alumni, among them University trustee Sharon Ryan (SAR’70) and her husband, Robert, who gave $1 million toward the center’s endowment. Arthur Marciano (DGE’49, COM’51) gave $3 million toward the center’s endowment, and the dining area has been named Marciano Commons to honor his community spirit and service and that of his late wife, Ann (CAS’50).

Dennis Carlberg, the University’s sustainability director, says the building is 20 percent more energy-efficient than most new construction and features cutting-edge, ecofriendly technology, including a green roof. That and other green features, he says, should qualify the facility for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

The first two floors of the $65 million, 120,000-plus-square-foot Center for Student Services are dedicated to dining and seat more than 1,000 people. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

Susan Morgan of the architectural firm Bruner/Cott discusses how and why different spaces were created for specific activities. Click to watch the video

Gary Nicksa, senior vice president for operations, says the center is a destination, not just a dining hall. “We talk a lot about the food, but really it’s the social experience that’s changed,” he says. “These are places where people go and they stay for a long time.”

The third floor houses the CAS Writing Program, where all undergraduates can receive tutoring, and the fourth floor anchors CAS Student Academic Life, which provides students with—among many services—academic and preprofessional advising. The ERC and CCD offices on the fifth and sixth floors provide easy access to workshops, peer tutoring, writing assistance, and career advising.

Wrapping these services into one location forms a “student center for the mind,” says Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore (SED’87). “It’s a way for a student to go into a space and not have to run around to a whole lot of other places in order to get their holistic needs taken care of.”