Posted by Elizabeth Hopkins '15
Case Center may be undergoing construction within the next ten years and the architectural planning process has begun as Skidmore College starts to envision what the new space might look like.
In 2008, the Case-Ladd Task Force initiated the conversation by presenting the community with the question: "How do we want to enliven this building?" Based on the feedback received and their own brainstorming sessions, the group produced a report with recommendations to the President's Cabinet and Institutional Policy and Planning Committee (IPPC). Their report suggested the formation of Case Council, a group comprising students and the faculty and staff that work in Case.
The second suggestion was to hire an architect to review Case Center and Ladd and develop a design plan for Skidmore to consider. In Spring 2013, Case Council initiated a conversation with Will Spears of the architectural firm Miller Dyer Spears Inc. Spears began meeting with the Student Government Association (SGA), student-led clubs, and faculty and staff to formulate some "conceptual ideas about the building," says Rochelle Calhoun, Dean of Student Affairs.
In September, Spears produced an updated series of floor plans for the building, including designs with and without an addition. Spears considered various possibilities, including revising the dining area, adding a multipurpose room and including a rehearsal or auditorium space. One particular idea that Calhoun advocates is the expansion of the dining space next to Burgess Caf?? into a patio that would extend over the Skidmore Shop. "It would make the building sing a bit," Calhoun said. "We want to use all of the vital elements here to create a more vibrant space."
But the plan for renovation is still very much in the works. Skidmore College is currently prioritizing the Dana Science Center as the next large renovation. Ultimately, the College envisions all of the science and related departments-including Anthropology, Exercise Science, and the Natural Sciences-to occupy the same building. Currently an estimated $100 million of renovations are needed to complete the desired renovations to Dana. A capital campaign will soon be launched to fundraise for the project. Once the College has acquired half of the needed finances through the campaign, work on the science center will begin.
Additional long-term projects in the works, or at least in consideration, include renovations to the athletic facilities and moving the Admissions Center back on campus.