When you walk through the second floor of Russell House, you see construction, caution tape and “hard hats required” signs.
However, when you walk past Einstein’s next semester, you’ll feel like you’re already inside the new Leadership and Service Center.
The Campus Life Center, which was last renovated almost 10 years ago, is being rebranded and completely transformed.
The CLC, which will house student government and other student organizations, is set to open spring of 2015.
The old space consisted of offices, with a transaction counter at the front. The walls blocked all natural light and created a closed environment.
But the new 4,000-foot space will feature an open environment, an amphitheater and glass modular walls allowing students to be able to see throughout the entire space; something they could not do in the old center.
The center also features four glassed-in digital conference rooms with Skype capabilities, a digital wall of computer monitors and classroom or training rooms. The digital wall will have two exterior monitors with content, and an interior monitor that students can interact with.
One of the primary architectural designs is a bay window that overlooks Greene Street, which Russell House director Kim McMahon hopes will invite people into the space.
“We started envisioning this process over two years ago. Much of it came from the initiative of behalf of the university that students would have leadership experiences,” McMahon said. “We knew that changing the physical environment of how students connect with leadership and service was as important as changing the curriculum.”
McMahon hopes that the new space will also attract potential Gamecocks during university tours. University Ambassadors stop directly outside of the Leadership and Service Center, and she hopes that the students will feel apart of the new area and that this will start to set the tone for potential new students.
According to McMahon, this space is designed to be multi-functional and multi-purpose. Students can walk in and interact with staff, who will have laptops and be able to move around the center. In the long-term, McMahon hopes to have tablets and computers to use while they are in the Leadership and Service Center.
“We’re trying to bring the world into USC through this center,” McMahon said. “We’re building this model center so that all the experience touch the students.”
This new design is also planning for any future functionality. McMahon said that plans were designed with the needs of the university two or three years down the road in mind.
“Now is a great time because our university’s focus is about integrating and connecting learning,” McMahon said. “Work in the professional environment beyond college has become a lot more collaborative. We want to prepare students for that type of experience now … It’s about connections, it’s about community, it’s about learning, and we want it to be in a very fun, student-centered way.”
McMahon hopes that when the space opens in spring 2015, students continue to build the space with the Russell House staff. She hopes that the university will be able to overcome the biggest challenge yet — bringing the physical space to life.
“My message to students always when it comes to the Russell House is that this is your facility,” McMahon said. “Programs and services are designed to complement your academic experience. We are building this with students in mind.”