The University of Colorado at Boulder is hosting an opportunity for faculty, staff and people who will be affected by construction of the new Center for Community building to come learn about the building and the programs and offices it will house.
The town hall meeting will be held Friday, March 20, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. in the Koelbel Business Building, room 210. There also will be opportunities to ask questions, voice concerns and receive responses from university officials. A town hall meeting for residence hall students was held in early March.
"This building will be a key feature on campus, so we want the input of the CU-Boulder community," said Julie Wong, vice chancellor for student affairs.
CU-Boulder started preliminary work on the 323,000-square-foot building in February, and intends to have the center up and running by September of 2010. The center will combine a wide range of student services and a dining center in one building. CU leaders believe the new building will help students feel more at home on the large campus.
"The Center for Community will house resource centers such as Career Services and Counseling and Psychological Services, which are essential to helping students meet the challenges of a dynamic university experience and reach their full potential," said Wong.
"We are taking a big step forward as a campus when we are able to better integrate student services," said Dustin Farivar, a tri-executive of the University of Colorado Student Union. "Our success as students depends on how well we are able to access these services."
As a promise to CU-Boulder students, every new building constructed on campus must meet the minimum requirements to achieve LEED silver certification. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system for the environmental sustainability of buildings. The Center for Community building is on track to submit for LEED gold certification, meaning it would use even less energy and water than the silver level.
The new $84.4 million Center for Community building will be funded fully through auxiliary revenues. Auxiliary departments are self-funded through user fees such as rent, permit and visitor parking fees, and fees for room and board.
A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the site April 13 at 3 p.m. The ceremony will highlight the services moving into the building as well as celebrate the beginning of the project.
To learn more about the project go to or .