Dominican University opens student services building
An $8 million renovation that replaces a 1960s-era library space with a centralized student services center has opened on the campus of Dominican University of California in San Rafael.
The Center for the Dominican Experience is the first significant new space developed on campus since the renovation of Meadowlands Hall in 2015. The project was funded by private donations.
“The Center for the Dominican Experience represents more than a decade of focused planning and innovation around a clear purpose: delivering Dominican
students the very best, most accessible, most inclusive, most integrated, most holistic college experience,” said Nicola Pitchford, the college president.
The center unites under one roof offices that were dispersed throughout campus. The unity of the offices will better support undergraduate and graduate students and enhance work with community groups, Pitchford said.
The two-story building is within what was one half of the university's Alemany Library, designed by architects Howard Friedman and Henry Schubart in 1962. The interior of the partial library space was gutted and
replaced with new construction.
On the first floor, the building encompasses three community engagement programs: the Susan and Dennis Gilardi Center for Community Engagement and Partnerships; the Francoise O. Lepage Center for Global Innovation; and the Barbara D. Goodman Art Gallery.
All three programs promote student engagement with the community. In the last 20 years, more than 7,000 students have engaged with the community through one or more servicelearning courses, contributing 185,400 hours to on-site learning with community organizations,