Dear AU Community,

Talking to our students─on the quad, in my regular breakfasts, in the classroom, or at campus events─I often hear a common theme. Students come to American University with a purpose. They are here to get the tools and experiences─inside and outside the classroom─to live that purpose. However, in order to realize their dreams and gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed on whatever path they choose, our students must thrive while they are here. This means students need places to gather and engage, services that support them, and caring faculty and staff who help them along their journeys. Building community helps to create many opportunities to thrive and American University is making the largest investment in student thriving in our history.

We are supporting student thriving by creating and updating campus spaces that are fundamental to our students’ success. With a $103 million investment supported by the Change Can’t Wait campaign and university resources, the new Student Thriving Complex (STC) will be the heart of campus with three vital hubs for student life.

• It will be a home for student well-being, bringing together academic support services, physical and mental health resources, and wellness programs in one convenient location. The well-being space will further our public health approach to personal and community wellness by connecting the places, programs, and resources students need to thrive. I want to thank the Student Wellness Council for their input on this project, which will help us make the space meet our students’ needs. The new wellness facilities will contain the Center for Well-Being Programs and Psychological Services, the Student Health Center, and a dedicated focus on preventative health activities, with opportunities ranging from yoga to healthy eating.
• The new Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance (Meltzer), the first new athletics and recreational construction on campus in more than 30 years, will provide numerous opportunities for the community. It will feature state-of-the-art competition, practice, sports medicine, locker room, and training facilities to help our student-athletes excel and expanded fitness and recreation amenities and gathering places where the entire AU community can come together. The additional space will also enable us to use Bender Arena for more campus-wide events, such as Kennedy Political Union speakers. AU trustee Alan Meltzer, CAS/BA ’21, and his wife, Amy, made a transformative $15 million commitment to name the center. AU board chair emeritus and current trustee Jack Cassell, SOC/BA ’77, his wife, Denise, and the Bender Family Foundation have also contributed foundational lead gifts to the Meltzer Center.
• Finally, the STC will include long-awaited renovations in the Mary Graydon Center (MGC) to truly make it a comprehensive student engagement core for AU. The revitalized MGC will meet students where they are, both today and in the future. It will be a flexible and student-focused space, including a new Student Engagement Commons where students can engage with one another, socialize, participate in clubs and organizations, and build the community that is central to the AU experience.

Below is a rendering of what the STC may look like (these are initial drawings; further design work is continuing). Additional information also is available on the Campus Plan website.

And the work to make this vision a reality for our students and our entire community is underway. This summer, the Campus Store is moving to the tunnel beneath Butler Pavilion, providing convenient access for community members and campus visitors. Its new home will be in the current Eagle’s Nest store, which will move to the former Capital One bank location across from the entrance to Bender Arena. We will complete these projects for the start of the fall 2023 semester.

For the spring 2024 semester, the Academic Support and Access Center (ASAC) will have a new permanent home in the the current Campus Store space inside Butler Pavilion. This important move will bring ASAC services together in one space for students, consolidating the two current offices in MGC and Bender Library.

Beginning in 2024, we are planning for renovations in Mary Graydon Center and construction on the Meltzer Center and well-being spaces, with the goal of completion by 2026. Any questions or feedback about the Student Thriving Complex can be sent to vpft@american.edu.

An important element of this project is collaborating with the neighbors through the AU Neighborhood Partnership and the Community Liaison Committee to advance the project under our approved 2021 Campus Plan. We are focused on minimizing disruption to the community around campus during construction. We plan to file a further processing application for the Meltzer Center project with the DC Zoning Commission in the near future.

Supporting our students is a core priority and a daily focus. The Student Thriving Complex is a great milestone for our community, and it will greatly enhance the student experience. I’m looking forward to working together as we build this important part of AU’s future.

Sincerely,

Sylvia