Hundreds of students and other members of the university community gathered Dec. 5 at the Emory Student Center (ESC) to celebrate the facility’s fifth anniversary. The 117,000-square foot, three-story building’s North and South Towers overflowed with music and laughter as guests shared conversation and community.
The DJ, a photo booth and a table for designing buttons encouraged students to take a break from studying and focus on well-being and connecting with others.
A facility still in its youth, the ESC has served countless meals to the university community, welcomed thousands of students and hosted numerous events, from small study sessions to major gatherings for hundreds of guests.
The ESC is home to several offices that directly serve students, including the Center for Civic and Community Engagement, Parent and Family Programs, Student Center Operations and Events, Student Governance Services and Student Involvement, Leadership, and Transitions.
The ESC has contributed immeasurably to community building and student flourishing at Emory, according to Lydia Washington, executive director of student centers.
“The ESC is not just a building. It’s a vibrant hub for dining, recreation and student engagement,” says Washington. “Whether you’re sharing ideas, catching up with friends or striking up a conversation with someone new, the ESC is a place where memories are made and lifelong friendships are forged.”
The Emory Student Center has always been about gathering and engagement, according to David Clark, vice president of Campus Life.
“This extraordinary facility is completely committed to a student-centered approach to enhancing our university community,“ Clark says. “Aligned with that commitment, a principal ESC goal from conception has been to serve as an all-campus nexus that brings us together.”
Skylar Michel, a senior in Emory College, is passionate about the ESC and enjoys how the facility brings people together. “They host a lot of events, and I'm able to study here, have my club meetings and meet with friends,” she says. “There’s a lot about the student center that I really appreciate.”
Fellow student Andy Waisser agrees. “The student center is a good third space on campus that isn't like work or school or home. It’s just a place to hang out, work or connect with other people,” he says, adding that ESC events help “drive school spirit.”
Student engagement continues to play vital role
Although the Emory Student Center opened its doors on May 6, 2019, the grand opening was a few months later on Sept. 11, partly to enable incoming students to celebrate the new space their predecessors helped shape. Emory sought student input throughout the ESC’s envisioning, planning and construction, and continues to do so.
“Students’ ideas influenced the creation of spaces for studying, meeting, collaborating, sharing meals and just having fun,” says Jackie Grinvalds, director of student center operations and events for Campus Life.
Student voices are reflected in plans for colors, textiles, signage, furniture, sound systems and the enormous glass exterior walls that bathe interior spaces with daylight and offer expansive views of one of the nation’s greenest campuses.
The ESC offers a wealth of student-centered features, including a recreation lounge with high-tech gaming, a spacious dining venue, a convenience store, Kaldi’s Coffee café and innovative spaces for individual and group study, collaboration and engagement.
In addition to small study spaces, the ESC contains a large ballroom that accommodates more than 1,200 guests — or transforms into six separate meeting rooms. All of that adds up to an appealing destination for campus gatherings.
“Over the years, we have seen steady increases in reservations for ESC spaces, with more than 2,400 events scheduled during the 2023-24 academic year,” Grinvalds says. “And in response to student feedback, we added an option for students to instantly book several small meeting rooms.”
Enhancements make popular facility even more appealing
“We continually add upgrades to enhance the ESC’s appeal and functionality, and we invite student input as a crucial element in planning. We’ve incorporated countless student ideas over the years, and their input continues to influence upgrades,” Grinvalds says.
This fall alone, the ESC added new furniture to indoor and outdoor areas, including green spaces, with more shade and additional flexible seating and tabletop options. Furniture in the ESC commons was upgraded to a more open, conversation-friendly design, with most of the replaced furniture redistributed throughout the building to increase student lounge space.
Dobbs Common Table, the university’s primary dining venue, expanded capacity from 800 to 1,000 diners. New artwork graces the ESC’s walls today with upgraded audiovisual capabilities and digital signage.
Students returning this fall also found novel changes in the ESC’s Eagle Emporium. The traditional convenience store was replaced with cutting-edge retail technology that allows students to check in with a credit card or use mobile ordering to select merchandise and exit the store without waiting in a cashier’s line. Charges appear on the shopper’s account and a receipt can be requested online. The Eagle Emporium is now open 24/7, except overnight from 8 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday.
When the ESC opened, students could borrow recreational equipment rent-free with assistance at the help desk. Today, a WiFi system enables students to borrow equipment without human assistance. Items range from video games and high-end audio speakers to billiards and tabletop games like Monopoly, Catan and Apples to Apples.
“Our Emory Student Center is the living room of our campus, a ‘third place’ for students after the residence halls where they live and the classrooms where they work,” says Washington. “It’s a welcoming and accessible place where students meet others with similar and often very different backgrounds and identities.”
“The ESC nurtures students’ sense of belonging and encourages community building with others,” Washington adds. “It helps us ensure every Emory student has opportunities to flourish today on our university campus and tomorrow in the world they are already beginning to shape.”
During summer 2017, Emory built a temporary dining venue before demolition of the Dobbs University (DUC), the ESC’s predecessor. The sleek, modern venue, which students nicknamed the “DUC-ling,” offered a varied menu and comfortable seating for 500 diners until the ESC opened in spring 2019.
During summer 2017, Emory built a temporary dining venue before demolition of the Dobbs University (DUC), the ESC’s predecessor. The sleek, modern venue, which students nicknamed the “DUC-ling,” offered a varied menu and comfortable seating for 500 diners until the ESC opened in spring 2019.
The photos above capture the huge scale of the construction project that became the attractive, energy-efficient, three-story ESC, featuring two towers that encompass 117,000 square feet.
The photos above capture the huge scale of the construction project that became the attractive, energy-efficient, three-story ESC, featuring two towers that encompass 117,000 square feet.
The photos above capture the huge scale of the construction project that became the attractive, energy-efficient, three-story ESC, featuring two towers that encompass 117,000 square feet.
The photos above capture the huge scale of the construction project that became the attractive, energy-efficient, three-story ESC, featuring two towers that encompass 117,000 square feet.
The photos above capture the huge scale of the construction project that became the attractive, energy-efficient, three-story ESC, featuring two towers that encompass 117,000 square feet.
The photos above capture the huge scale of the construction project that became the attractive, energy-efficient, three-story ESC, featuring two towers that encompass 117,000 square feet.
The photos above capture the huge scale of the construction project that became the attractive, energy-efficient, three-story ESC, featuring two towers that encompass 117,000 square feet.
During construction, hundreds of students signed a massive beam that now spans the ESC’s exterior stairway, creating a kind of time capsule.
During construction, hundreds of students signed a massive beam that now spans the ESC’s exterior stairway, creating a kind of time capsule.
Since opening in 2019, the ESC has served countless meals to the university community, welcomed thousands of students and hosted numerous events, from small study sessions to gatherings for hundreds of guests.
Since opening in 2019, the ESC has served countless meals to the university community, welcomed thousands of students and hosted numerous events, from small study sessions to gatherings for hundreds of guests.