On May 8 at 4:30 p.m. in the Pfeil Center parking lot, students and faculty gathered for the ground-breaking ceremony on the new $12 million residence hall to be constructed at Holy Cross College. The residence hall, opening in fall 2026, is part of a series of construction projects for the College’s five year strategic plan.
The ceremony included statements made by College President Marco Clark, members of the Board of Trustees, chief executive officer of the Notre Dame Federal Credit Union Thomas Gryp, founder and president of University Housing Solutions Jim Schmidt and members of the College’s Student Government Association (SGA) on the importance of the new residence hall to the campus community. John Gschwind, a Board of Trustees member, said the build “reflects [the] purposeful planning, student voice and a deep investment in the community.”
The College collaborated with a variety of banking partners, organizations and offices of local institutions. The development is the first on-campus housing development since the opening of North Hall in 2015.
The new three story building of 29,000 square feet will consist of 114 beds with single and double rooms, along with other amenities found in the halls across campus, including kitchens, conference rooms, study and reading lounges, laundry rooms, outdoor seating, a chapel and more parking space. Students were also able to suggest different design options for the blueprints. The new building provides upperclassmen students with an alternative outside of living off campus through University Edge.
“I am really excited for the new dorms in general. One thing that I’ve been scared about is being forced to live off campus in University Edge because I would rather stay here on campus, helping build community and being able to hang out more easily with friends," Freshman Lucie Tinervia said.
The renovation was announced following another milestone for the College, the expansion of the athletic complex announced with a ceremony on May 1. This new development includes adding the first stadium lighting system, an electronic scoreboard and a fence surrounding the field. Other improvements will be made to the soccer field for fan and student-athlete experiences in multiple phases.
“We think this has a full college benefit by being able to have our teams practice and play in the evenings. That way it doesn't interfere with their class time and doesn't inhibit our own scheduling,” Clark explained.
Both of these projects tie into the College’s current goal of increasing the growth and enrollment. Clark mentioned that they are on track towards achieving this and hope to further it through the new additions of facilities and improvements on campus.
“The goal is that by the conclusion of that five year plan, we would like to reach a total enrollment goal of somewhere between 800 and 850 students. That projects out about a fifteen percent year over year increase, which we are on track to do for the third consecutive year. So that's all very exciting and we want to be able to provide the necessary accommodations for students,” Clark said.
This is part of the larger $350 million master plan that spans 20 years and is currently broken down into three segments: near-term, mid-term and long-term, each covering two to 11 years in length. The new developments include enhancements to current classrooms, lab spaces and auditorium, while adding on new facilities for the first phase.
“A twenty-year master plan gives us a north star, a place to shoot for … It's ambitious, but we also look upon it incrementally, so it was divided up into three phases … We do look that by the end of 2028 we will have completed the first phase of the campus master plan,” Clark stated.
He discussed the next renovation project for the current phase is constructing a new student union building to create a specific space where students can gather and interact. This includes tailored offices and activities for students to utilize on campus, which students will be able to partake in the design of this fall.
“The next phase in our building development will be the addition of a student union and that will add the additional spaces needed for dining, community gathering, recreation and activity … We would anticipate that by the conclusion of the strategic plan that that facility will be constructed as well,” Clark said.
The College was able to pursue this strategy plan by becoming debt free and recovering from its financial crisis in 2017, which almost caused the school to close its doors.
“This is almost a work of resurrection in many ways. A college that, less than 10 years ago, was really on the brink of perhaps not even being here any longer, and here we are, looking at a bright future,” Clark said.
For the students and faculty, these renovations represent a new and exciting future for the campus.
“It’s a really big opportunity for all of the Holy Cross community. I think it was really nice that the timing aligned for the Board of Trustees to be here, the student body, the athletes and the students overall,” sophomore Victoria Piskol, student body president elect, said.
Clark expressed gratitude upon the support for the new building developments by the tri-campus community and collaborations with local partners.
“I would like to just say how grateful we are for the many community partners that have embraced Holy Cross College … not the least of those is right here in the tri-campus community,” Clark said. “The tri-campus community is really very special, and Holy Cross is proud to be a part of that and grateful for the partnerships that we have.”
A reception was held inside the Pfeil Center following the ceremony with local business organizations, community leaders and staff and faculty being able to view the layout of both the athletic complex and new residence hall.
