The University of Alabama at Birmingham will break ground on its new Student Organization Facility operated by Student Affairs on Wednesday, March 8 at 1:30 p.m.
The new home for UAB’s registered student organizations will be located at the northwest corner of 14th Street South and 11th Avenue South. It will be a dedicated space for assembly and engagement of undergraduate student organizations.
The building will be a single-story facility with approximately 10,730 gross square feet of assembly and support space, storage space, office and administrative space, and a catering kitchen.
“The new building will be a pivotal part of our commitment to transforming learners to leaders by providing a student-centered, designated and easily accessible space so they can amplify their involvement, engagement and service efforts,” said John Jones, Ph.D., vice president of Student Affairs at UAB. “Our vision for this space is that it will be a place where student leaders will congregate and generate impactful initiatives and events.”
The new facility will be home to student organizations, sororities and fraternities, providing space for assembly, storage, events and other administrative needs.It will feature one large assembly room, which will accommodate up to 280 students at a time and can be subdivided into three smaller assembly rooms. The building will also house four individual assembly rooms that can accommodate between 12 and 32 students each, as well as a hoteling office and administrative space, to be used by leaders of student organizations.
The goal of this building will be to provide shared space for student organizations, fraternities and sororities to host meetings, special events and recruitment activities, and to build community among members.
The construction began in January and the projected completion is late 2023.
The speakers at the event will include UAB President Ray L. Watts, Jones, Jennifer Griffin, director of Student Involvement and Leadership, and Ummu Bah, Ms. UAB and member of Alpha Xi Delta.
The general contractor on the project is Shelby Company LLC, and the architect is Architecture Works, LLC.