North Central College to Break Ground on New Student Commons

North Central College will break ground this fall on a new Student Commons. The 60,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will be built in two phases, starting with a 30,000-square-foot dining center that will feature expanded seating capacity, an elevated dining experience, and on-the-go options. A ceremonial groundbreaking event will take place on Saturday, October 10, at 2 p.m., as part of North Central’s Homecoming Weekend festivities. The new facility will be located at the southwest corner of Chicago Avenue and Brainard Street with the dining center expected to open in November 2027.

“This new facility will have a profound impact on the day-to-day lives of our students,” said North Central College President Abiódún Gòkè-Paríolá. “A dining center is far more than just a place to eat. It’s where students connect with one another, form relationships, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Student input has helped shape our vision for this facility, and the result will be a dining experience designed around how today’s students want to eat, gather, and connect.”

The Student Commons will sit at the intersection of academic, athletic, and residential life. The more than 800 students who live in residence halls south of Chicago Avenue, as well as student-athletes who attend practices and games in the athletic complex, will no longer need to cross Chicago Avenue to access campus dining. The facility will include a modern servery that will improve operations for daily meal service, a spacious dining area with a variety of seating options for up to 500 students at a time, and a quick service college grill for on-the-go food, coffee, and other beverages. The dining center will replace two existing campus dining venues: Kaufman Dining Hall and The Cage grill, which is located within the Harold and Eva White Activities Center. Both current dining facilities will remain operational while construction of the new dining center is underway.

Upon completion of a capital fundraising effort, the College will embark on the second phase of the Student Commons construction project: a 30,000-square-foot student activities center, which will be seamlessly connected to the dining facility. The student activities center will include casual seating for individual and small group study; a variety of breakout rooms and conference rooms for student organization and club meetings; a new campus store; a central seating area for social gatherings with large monitors for streaming, gaming, or presentations; a kitchenette where students can store food and prepare snacks and meals; and a large multipurpose room with capacity to accommodate up to 350 people for internal and external events, including banquets and wedding receptions.

“The Student Commons will bring many different student-centered resources and amenities that are currently spread out across campus under one roof, becoming a dynamic hub for student dining, engagement, and activity,” said Gòkè-Paríolá. “So much of the college experience is about creating opportunities for connection and collaboration.

The Student Commons will bring Cardinals together and help foster a sense of community that will permeate across all corners of campus.”

For more information, including facility renderings, visit: northcentralcollege.edu/student-commons.