AUGUSTA — The University of Maine at Augusta has resumed its $2 million project to renovate the Randall Student Center on the Augusta campus.

The project was slated to be done by the end of August, but faced hiccups along the way with the nationwide labor shortage. Jonathan Henry, UMA’s vice president of enrollment management and marketing, said there was a delay in the furniture, building materials and drivers to ship supplies.

With the renovation project, the college is adding a Welcome Center to campus, along with offices aimed at increasing the reach to off-campus students. UMA also hopes the improved student center will attract prospective students.

Henry anticipates the project will be done around Indigenous People’s Day, which is Oct. 11.

“We hope to build a community,” he said about the renovation. “In the center there are places for faculty, the café… We hope this will help rebuild our community as we come out of COVID-19.”

Henry said the building had to be designed with the intention of both attracting students and the realization that some students will never see the student center. He estimated about 25%-30% of UMA students are physically based in Augusta. The college has eight sites across the state to increase accessibility and has an online platform.

A rendering of what the front hall of the Randall Student Center is designed to look like once construction is completed. Rendering courtesy of Jonathan H Henry

And with the coronavirus pandemic, Henry said, the virtual and technological aspect of the renovation is especially important. If certain offices or faculty members decide to work remotely, rooms in the center are able to be used for a variety of purposes.

According to UMA, 66% of students at the university have taken a majority of their classes online. Only 11% have taken them on the Augusta campus, with 23% taking a majority of their classes at either the Bangor campus or another site.

“We had to design it not just with the current need, but also for those who continue to work remotely,” Henry said. “Also for what we need five to 10 years down the road.”

Ventilation will be updated in the building as well.

Daniel Arnold of New England Tech Air works Monday on the HVAC system at the Randall Student Center at the University of Maine at Augusta. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

The center already had office space in place, but Henry said instead of cubicles, offices like the Financial Aid and Academic Advising will have areas able to increase confidentiality with shaded glass walls and the ability to privately talk with a student on the phone.

“If a student in their 30s brings a child to school, they can go in the advisor’s office and have the privacy they might need,” Henry said. “If a someone is on a video call, they can now keep the door shut so no one would notice.”

Originally anticipated to cost around $6 million, the university was able to cut costs by moving the bookstore online and creating a larger space with which to work. The Randall Student Center currently has a café and spirit store, as well as a student lounge and room for student government.

Workers renovate offices Monday at the Randall Student Center at University of Maine at Augusta. Andy Molloy/Kennebec Journal

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council had a say in the construction and asked if a prayer room could be added for students of various denominations. The room will not be set for a specific religious denomination, but open for all students to use.

Henry hopes the center will help put UMA on the map.

“My challenge is to make sure students always know they are welcome,” he said. “They can take classes in person and study here and eat meals, or they can be an online student and never see campus unless you want to come, but I want them to know they are always welcome.”

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