One of the most visible forms of momentum at the University of Nevada, Reno continues to be the multiple construction projects taking place on campus. As the 2016 Spring Semester kicks off, the University will celebrate a major milestone with the opening of the William N. Pennington Student Achievement Center. Neighboring the student achievement center, projects are underway to renovate and retrofit Lincoln Hall and to take down White Pine, making room for Great Basin Hall, a new STEM- themed residence hall.

William N. Pennington Student Achievement Center
The William N. Pennington Student Achievement Center is scheduled to open its doors Monday, Feb. 22. The 78,000-square-foot building will bring together a myriad of student-success services all designed to assist students in their efforts to attain a degree in four years.  

Student services in the student achievement center will include the Writing Center, Math Center, Tutoring Center, Career Studio, Advising Center, Nevada Military Support Alliance Veterans' and Military Center, Disability Resource Center, Counseling Services and TRiO Scholars Programs.  

"This is one of the most important and most-needed buildings we've ever had on this campus," University President Marc Johnson said. "The facility will cater to every student, in every imaginable way. In many ways, it will be our most socially and academically welcoming building. It will foster a culture of support, and it will help all of our students."

Great Basin Hall 

To keep up with the increasing demand for on-campus student housing, which currently exceeds 122 percent, White Pine Hall is being removed to make room for Great Basin Hall. The new STEM-themed hall, which was named after approval from the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents at their December 2015 meeting, will focus on academic success within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.

Great Basin Hall is designed to house approximately 430 students, 90 percent freshmen and 10 percent upperclassmen. The concept behind the new hall will be for informal mentoring to take place in an effort to continue to recruit and retain students in the STEM fields.

Lincoln Hall
Built in 1896, Lincoln Hall is one of the oldest buildings on campus and in Reno. To ensure the University's ability to meet the modern and evolving needs of a growing campus and address safety, while also continuing to preserve the building's legacy, renovations are underway at Lincoln Hall. Through this renovation, Lincoln Hall will undergo structural upgrades that address safety and seismic standards.  

Closed as a residence hall in May 2015, Lincoln Hall is being converted to an office building. In cooperation with the State Historical Preservation Office and a design agent who specializes in historic structures, upgrades in seismic, fire and safety, mechanical, plumbing, phone and data, and Americans with Disabilities Act access will be included in this project.  

Lincoln Hall's renovation is scheduled for completion in summer 2016.

Mackay Stadium
Renovations to Mackay Stadium have also begun and will include a new 8,000-square-foot club space with a full-service kitchen and restrooms. The update to the stadium will also feature 26 new loge boxes on the west side and 4,953 permanent chair back stadium seats, which will replace the bleachers. The chair-back stadium seats will be located in five sections on the west side of the stadium and in two sections on the stadium's east side. The updates includes expanding 12 east side suites to include outdoor patio spaces.  

For safety reasons, West Stadium Way is closed to foot traffic through the spring semester. Pedestrians are advised to access campus through the West Stadium Parking Complex.  

The renovation of Mackay Stadium was approved by the NSHE Board of Regents in December 2014.   

Upcoming projects
This year the University also has plans to start renovation of the Palmer Engineering Building, which will be complete in summer 2017, and Thompson Hall. In the coming years, the University plans to hire more than 400 faculty, which will help reduce the student-to-faculty ratio from 22-to-1 to 17-to-1. Many of the office spaces being created from these projects will house new and existing faculty.

"With the proliferation of new buildings will come an important opportunity for our campus, as we re-purpose existing space to meet our current needs," President Johnson said.