SC State launches $20M student center expansion to transform campus life
Project adds 44,000 square feet with dining, bookstore, esports center and student-focused spaces as part of broader campus growth initiative.
ORANGEBURG, S.C. — A major new hub for student life is taking shape at South Carolina State University, where officials on Saturday broke ground on a $20 million expansion of the student center designed to enhance the campus experience for current and future Bulldogs. “We’ve waited a long time for this,” said Dr. Tamara Jeffries, SC State vice president for student affairs. “The student center is the space that sits at the heart of student leadership. This moment represents more than construction. It reflects our deep commitment to strengthening the student experience. “The student center is where connections are made, leadership is cultivated and community is strengthened,” she said. The expansion of the Kirkland W. Green Student Center is a state-funded $20 million project that will add 44,000 square feet to the current center, bringing the center’s total square footage to 78,000 square feet.
The design includes:
- A new 10,000-square-foot Washington Dining Hall.
- A new bookstore
- A new Career Center
- An esports center
- A sports cafe
- A second-floor cafe with an outdoor patio
- 10 meeting and collaboration spaces
The expansion follows a $4.4 million renovation of the existing building, which included an overhaul of the university's bowling alley, so the entire structure will have a fresh feel.
Students express excitement, gratitude for expansion project
“Today’s groundbreaking represents growth, progress and our continued commitment to providing the best for our students and campus community,” said Mister SC State Bryce McIntosh, 23, a graduating senior speech pathology and audiology major from Lake City, South Carolina.
“We’re grateful to our leadership partners and alumni and supporters who helped make this moment possible. These new buildings will create opportunities for learning, innovation and future success. We’re proud of where we are and excited about where we’re going,” he said.
McIntosh was delighted to see the project include newer building spaces and more advanced technology for students to enjoy.
“It’s a great recruitment to attract other kids because of all the things that’s been going on at SC State. I feel like this is a great opportunity for the students just to find themselves and explore,” he said, noting that the university leadership has shown that it is adhering to student needs.
“That’s the best thing that we can ask for as students. That’s a really good thing,” said McIntosh, who will be returning to SC State to work on obtaining a master’s degree after completing his bachelor’s degree in May.
Bella Joy Irving, a senior family and consumer science major from Orangeburg, said she was also excited about the new expanded student center.
“I’m excited for what it’s going to bring, the new things that are coming. I hope I can see a little bit of it before I go. I’m excited. Hopefully the project will provide more opportunities for students to work there,” the 21-year-old said.
Irving said she also appreciates the university’s vision, including the leadership of SC State President Alexander Conyers.
“President Conyers is very attentive to what we are saying as students, especially with the tragedies that occurred this past semester. A lot went on, but he was really attentive to what we had to say. He does listen to us, and he’s very attentive. I’m happy that he got another term to show more of what he can do because he is doing a lot for us,” she said.
Officials speak on expansion, other projects to come
The university also broke ground on a new $50 million residence hall Saturday, which will sit adjacent to Mitchell Hall and Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. A new $54.7 million academic building is already underway adjacent to the student center plaza. A new library, a new ROTC building and a new police station are in design phases.
“There’s more than $200 million worth of new construction since the leadership of this board has been in place for almost six years,” said Conyers, who thanked the board and the students for their continued support of the university.
The president said he was excited about the opportunities an expanded student center would bring.
“While we may see it as a building, we know that it’s much, much more. It’s where lifelong friendships will be formed. It’s where married couples will meet. It is where scholars get to collaborate to conduct research and so much more for this great university,” Conyers said.
He said current students deserved to have an expanded student center and more, as well as the more than 1,200 high school juniors who toured the campus as part of the university’s open house activities Saturday.
“If those juniors choose South Carolina State University — and many of them will — this student center expansion will be open when they get here. I’m super excited about that,” Conyers said.
Several members of the SC State Board of Trustees joined university leaders, students and community partners at the groundbreaking, underscoring the board’s visible support for the project and its commitment to enhancing the student experience through continued campus investment.
SC State Board of Trustees Chairman Douglas Gantt said, “We are truly excited about this opportunity of what we’ve come together to create. This is a conversation that we’ve had for a very long time about building here at SC State.
“The job of the board of trustees is to identify people who are affluent and have influence. I can truly say that this board has come together to ensure that we do that, and that is why we believe you can see all of the many things that we have developing here,” Gantt said.
“It’s without a doubt that with President Conyers as our leader, it is the best decision that this board has made. I would love to be a freshman again,” he said.
University financial leaders also emphasized the critical role of state support and institutional stewardship in bringing the project to fruition, noting that strategic funding partnerships have been essential to advancing campus improvements and enhancing student life.
“We extend our sincere gratitude to the members of the state legislature for their unwavering financial support of the student center expansion,"
said Dr. Gerald Smalls, SC State’s vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer. "Your commitment to higher education and the success, well-being and development of our students has made this moment possible.
“Because of your investment, we are creating opportunities that will shape the student experience for years to come," he said.
A modern design to meet student expectations
Smalls thanked the university’s staff for their work in supporting the project, along with Coast Architects and Thompson Turner Construction for their work on the project.
Connie Dyer Zafiris, a principal and lead architect at the Charleston-based architectural firm, said she was excited about the student center expansion project.
“The space is going to be very exciting. We’ve really enjoyed working with the students and all the staff on coming up with the design and the excitement that we’re feeling in the office to make this vision and then Thompson Turner making it a reality for us,” Zafiris said.
She said a fireplace, stairs and video board will be among the amenities included in the two-and-a-half-story building.
“We’re calling it the gathering place when you come in. Then also on the first level, there will be a sports cafe that’ll have pool tables and arcades in the space, as well. And then upstairs we’ll have a coffee cafe.
“It’ll have seating, and the space will also have a second-story outdoor patio that will be adjacent to a large meeting space. So if you have a night event, you’ll be able to take over the whole coffee space,” Zafiris said.
“There will be movable walls that’ll open that entire space up so you have a big gathering of alumni, students or whatever the event is,” she said, noting that study pods to accommodate a single student or groups of up to four students will also be included in the expanded student center.
Zafiris said the students can conduct gaming competitions in the new esports center, as well as make use of a video podcast space.
“The building has a lot of fun and exciting things. We’re grateful to be a part of the team that’s put this together,” Zafiris said.
Bradley Holeman, a project executive with Thompson Turner Construction, said the company was also excited to be a part of the expansion project.
“Having a helping hand in shaping the campus’s future is an honor that I don’t take lightly. It’s truly a very critical project to the campus. This is going to allow students, faculty and administration to shape and engage future students and young people for years to come," he said.