Transforming Emerson: Campus Building Projects and Moves

By the beginning of Fall 2017, a formerly vacant space at the heart of the Emerson campus will serve as a hub of student life and activity, offering new dining, gathering, and social spaces. The multi-level, multi-purpose Student Dining Center, which was announced last spring, and the 18-story, 374-bed student residence hall taking shape around the corner at 2 Boylston Place, will create a vibrant streetscape for the campus and Boston. 

In Spring 2017, repairs will begin on the Little Building, Emerson’s largest residence hall and home to a number of campus resources, followed by renovations of the building, which will add 290 student beds.

Emerson is in the middle of a three-year building boom, an exciting and transformative time for the College—one that will include a number of campus office and facilities moves along the way.  

Here’s where everyone is, following a series of moves this summer.

Moves from the Little Building

The Equipment Distribution Center, Emerson’s hub of cameras and lighting equipment for students to check out, is now located in leased space on Avery Street, across the street from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

The Office of Student Success has migrated to the second floor of Piano Row.

The offices of Housing and Residence Life and Community Standards and Student Conduct  (*yes, that’s a new name, see below) can now be found on the fourth floor of the Walker Building, where they join their fellow Department of Campus Life offices…

Moves from Piano Row

…these Include Intercultural Student Affairs, Parent and Family Programs, Off-Campus Student Services, and Student Activities, plus the senior associate dean of Campus Life and the vice president and dean of Campus Life, which have vacated Piano Row for Walker 4.

Sharon Duffy, senior associate dean of Campus Life, said the need to move Housing and Residence Life and Student Conduct and Community Standards out of the Little Building provided an opportunity to create “one-stop shopping” for most of Emerson’s student-centric services.

“These three areas are very heavily used services by our college community, and [we thought] how convenient would it be in one location?” said Duffy, whose department has been in Walker since July 1. The fact that student services will be so close to the new dining hall, where students will congregate naturally, made the moves even more attractive, she said.

Now at 20 Park Plaza

Walker 4 has room for Campus Life now because Facilities and Campus Services have moved to rented space on the 13th floor of 20 Park Plaza, just around the corner from campus. Also relocating to 20 Park Plaza is Information Technology (formerly located on Ansin 4), Human Resources (formerly in the Transportation Building) and Administration and Finance (moving later this semester, from 99 Summer Street).

Stay tuned for updates on future moves as the construction process advances.

*New Names, Broader Missions

A number of offices in the new “Campus Life Suite” have new monikers:

Multicultural Student Affairs is now Intercultural Student Affairs.

The Dean of Students Office is now the Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Office.

Parent Programs is now Parent and Family Programs.

Spiritual Life is now Religious and Spiritual Life.

Student Conduct is now Community Standards and Student Conduct.

Greek Life is now Fraternity and Sorority Life.

“All of the name changes have been around becoming more inclusive in their scope and representative of service to the entire Emerson community,” Duffy said.