Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff Members, 

We hope you’ve been enjoying the nice weather and that summer has given you the chance for a bit of rest and relaxation.

We are writing with a brief update on the planned opening of Phase 1 of the Dining and Community Commons project: the new Dining Center. Work on the Dining Center has been ongoing throughout the summer, and while we are excited by the progress to date, we are facing some of the same global supply chain issues that are disrupting construction and many other industries around the world. As a result, we are postponing the planned opening of the Dining Center by about two months until mid-October, the week after fall break.

We are disappointed by this news, but this short-term delay doesn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the project. When it opens in October, the Dining Center will bring to campus a transformative dining experience, offering a welcoming and inclusive space to eat, unwind, and connect with one another. Opening after fall break will have the added benefit of giving the Dining Services team time to fully train and familiarize themselves with the revitalized space, including an expansive array of dining options and state-of-the-art, combustion-free cooking equipment.

Once the Dining Center opens, we will move fully into Phase 2 of the Dining and Community Commons project — renovating Sharples Dining Hall into the new Sharples Commons. That work will begin this fall and continue through fall 2023, when we expect the entire Dining and Community Commons space to be complete and open to our community.

We appreciate your patience and understanding. Your friends and colleagues in Facilities, Capital Planning, and Dining Services have been diligently working to help bring the Dining and Community Commons to life. We are excited for you to see the incredible progress we’re making. We look forward to sharing further updates, including a more detailed opening schedule, as we get closer to the start of the fall semester.

Sincerely,


Anthony Coschignano
Associate Vice President for Campus Services

Andy Feick
Associate Vice President for Sustainable Facilities Operations and Capital Planning

Susan Smythe
ADA Program Manager/Senior Project Manager