A student center (or student centre) is a type of building found on
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
and some
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
campuses. In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, such a building may also be called a student union, student commons, or union. The term "student union" refers most often in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
to a building, while in other nations a "
students' union" is the
student government. Nevertheless, the
Association of College Unions International
ACUI (Association of College Unions International) is one of the oldest associations in higher education, and dates to 1914. This association is the largest organization that represents student activity centers and student unions in the United St ...
(largely US-based) has several hundred campus organizational members in the US; there is no sharp dichotomy in interpretation of ''union'' in this context. The US usage in reference to a location is simply a shortened form of student union building.
History
The first student union in America was
Houston Hall, at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
, which opened January 2, 1896 and remains in operation to this day. The first Ohio Union at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
was Enarson Hall. The building opened in 1911 and was the first student union to be built at a state university and the fourth of its kind in the United States.
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
's student union opened in 1950. Subsequent additions, and renovations in 2010, have made the building one of the largest student activity centers in the world at .
Some student centers carry unique origins and historical significance with some on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
The William Pitt Union was originally constructed in 1898 as a hotel and was converted into a student center in 1956.
Some student activity centers on the
NRHP include
O'Hara Student Center (
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
),
McKenny Hall
McKenny Hall, previously called McKenny Union and Charles McKenny Union, was the first student activity center, student union on the campus of the Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) in Ypsilanti, Michigan. At various t ...
(
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
), and the
Tivoli Student Union
The Tivoli Brewery (now the Tivoli Student Union) is a historic building originally home to the Tivoli Brewing Company. It was designed by prominent Denver architect Frederick C. Eberley. The building is located in the Auraria Neighborhood of Den ...
. The Tivoli Student Union was originally home to the Trevoli Brewing Company but since has been converted to serve several institutions in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
.
In 2007, the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...
's student center became the first
LEED Gold certification by the
U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...
.
Other examples of student centers include
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
's
Mountainlair
The Mountainlair, commonly called "the Lair" by students, is the three-floor student union building at West Virginia University. The current building dates to 1968 and replaced an earlier structure built in 1948. The Mountainlair is also the site ...
, the
J. Wayne Reitz Union at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
, the
Bronco Student Center
The Bronco Student Center is a student activity center for meetings, conferences, meals, recreation, and shopping for students and alumni on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona in Pomona, California. The building houses Cal Poly Pomona Associated Studen ...
at
Cal Poly Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona, CPP, or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo. See the ''name'' section of this article for more infor ...
, the
McCormick Tribune Campus Center
The McCormick Tribune Campus Center (MTCC) is a building on the main campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology, in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. The McCormick Tribune Campus Center opened September 30, 2003. A ...
at the
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...
, and the
Price Center
Price Center is a student center located in the center of the University of California San Diego campus, just south of Geisel Library. As one of the largest student centers in the country, Price Center serves more than 30,000 visitors a day. Pr ...
at
UC San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...
.
The first student center in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
was at the
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
, built 1910-1913 for the
Liverpool Guild of Students
Liverpool Guild of Students is the students' union of the University of Liverpool. The Guild was founded in 1889, with the building constructed in 1911.
The title also refers to the Guild of Students building, which is the centre point of acti ...
and
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
on the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...
from 1975. Another historically important student center is
Newcastle University Students' Union Building, built in 1924 for what was then Armstrong College of Durham University and listed from 1987. Many student centers were built as part of the rapid expansion of higher education in the UK following World War II with architectural styles ranging from
classical to
modernist
Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
; the
brutalist Dunelm House
Dunelm House is a Grade II listed university building in Durham, England, built in 1966 in the brutalist style. It belongs to Durham University and houses Durham Students' Union. Its listing entry cites, among other factors, that it is "a sign ...
, built in 1966 for
Durham Students' Union
Durham Students' Union, operating as Durham SU, is the students' union of Durham University in Durham, England. It is an organisation, originally set up as the Durham Colleges Students’ Representative Council in 1899 and renamed in 1969, wi ...
, is considered "the foremost students’ union building of the post-war era in England" and was listed in 2021. , these are the only three student centers to have been listed in England. The conversion of
former polytechnics to universities in 1992 sparked further construction of student centers at the new universities, examples including the students' union buildings of
Sunderland University
, mottoeng = Sweetly absorbing knowledge
, established = 1901 - Sunderland Technical College1969 - Sunderland Polytechnic1992 - University of Sunderland (gained university status)
, staff =
, chancellor = Emeli ...
and the
University of the West of Scotland
The University of the West of Scotland ( gd, Oilthigh na h-Alba an Iar), formerly the University of Paisley, is a public university with four campuses in south-western Scotland, in the towns of Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley, Blantyre, South Lanar ...
, both built in 2004.
File:Houston Hall, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.jpg, The first student activity center in America was Houston Hall at the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
File:Schenley Hotel.jpg, The William Pitt Union
The William Pitt Union, built in 1898 as the Hotel Schenley, is the student union building of the University of Pittsburgh main campus, and is a Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark. Designed by Pittsburg ...
as the Schenley Hotel
File:OSUStudentUnion2.jpg, Student Union at Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
File:LGOS Front.jpg, Liverpool Guild of Students
Liverpool Guild of Students is the students' union of the University of Liverpool. The Guild was founded in 1889, with the building constructed in 1911.
The title also refers to the Guild of Students building, which is the centre point of acti ...
building at the University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
, the first student center in the UK
File:Bâtiment Student Union Newcastle Tyne 5.jpg, Students' Union building at Newcastle University
File:Dunelm House & Kingsgate Bridge.jpg, Dunelm House
Dunelm House is a Grade II listed university building in Durham, England, built in 1966 in the brutalist style. It belongs to Durham University and houses Durham Students' Union. Its listing entry cites, among other factors, that it is "a sign ...
at Durham University, seen through Kingsgate Bridge
Kingsgate Bridge is a striking, modern reinforced concrete construction footbridge across the River Wear, in Durham, England. It is a Grade I listed building. It was personally designed in 1963 by Ove Arup, the last structure he ever designed. K ...
Purpose
Broadly speaking, the facility is devoted to student recreation and socialization. A student center or student union is the community center of the college, serving students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests. A student activity center might offer a variety of programs, activities, services, and facilities.
It may contain lounges, wellness centers, dining facilities or vendors, and entertainment venues. The student center is often the center of
student affairs
Student affairs, student support, or student services is the department or division of services and support for student success at institutions of higher education to enhance student growth and development. People who work in this field are know ...
and activities and may house the offices of the student government or other student groups. It may also act as a small
conference center
A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...
, with its meeting rooms rented out to student groups and local organizations holding conferences or competitions. An example of this for instance is the
Michigan Union
The Michigan Union is a student union at the University of Michigan. It is located at the intersection of South State Street and South University Avenue in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The building was built in 1917 and is one of several unions at the U ...
, which hosts the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
Model United Nations
Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...
conference.
Depending on the school and its location it might have unique amenities such as a bowling alley, cultural or prayer rooms and unique services. At
Eastern Michigan University Student Center
The Eastern Michigan University Student Center is Eastern Michigan University's student union. Since its opening in 2006 the EMU Student Center replaced McKenny Union as the student hub of campus life. The building is simply referred to as "The S ...
the building offers a
kiva
A kiva is a space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circular and underground ...
, a round, 360-degree room patterned after spaces used in
Native American cultures. The Kiva Room at EMU is used as a meeting space, for collaboration, or for musical purposes.
In the
Ohio State University-Ohio Union, the student union offers an interfaith prayer room which has feet washing area for Muslim students.
The
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
has an
eyewear and
optometric consumer service location.
Likewise, a Canadian example would be at the
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...
where the student life centre holds many different businesses and services such as a dentist office, a used book store, piano rooms and study rooms that can be reserved for use, and a multi-faith prayer room.
See also
*
Association of College Unions International
ACUI (Association of College Unions International) is one of the oldest associations in higher education, and dates to 1914. This association is the largest organization that represents student activity centers and student unions in the United St ...
*
Student union (disambiguation)
*
Student activities
Student activities (also known as campus activities) are student-focused extracurricular clubs and programs offered at a college or university. Student activities are generally designed to allow students to become more involved on campus. Often, s ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Student center
Student culture
Student organizations
Students' unions