Higher education construction isn’t limited to the campuses of state-supported colleges and universities in Arkansas.
"There’s a great deal of construction at our colleges," said Rex Nelson, president of the Arkansas Association of Independent Colleges. Nelson represents the state’s 11 private colleges.
Harding University in Searcy has experienced a trend of new construction during the past decade. Most recently, it began building a $12 million 84-apartment townhome complex, with 64 urban-style units on the west side of campus and 20 more traditional apartments on the east side. After the western units are built, the nearby 1970s-era apartments will be torn down to make room for more urban-style units.
Lyon College in Batesville is undergoing one of the most significant construction projects in its history with the 44,000-SF $9.4 million Edwards Commons building that’s replacing the original Edwards Commons, a student center and dining hall that burned in 2010.
"It is immeasurably important," said Bob Qualls, Lyon’s director of communications. "It’s basically the heart of our campus. It’s where students got together to eat and hang out."
Another of the more notable of the private projects is the David T. Watkins Academic Building at Central Baptist College in Conway.
President Terry Kimbrow said the 38,000-SF $8 million building will be ready to be furnished by mid-June, and it’s the college’s first major construction in two decades.
Its first floor will feature offices for financial aid, business, the registrar and administration.
"They’re all in a small building right now that’s connected to the library," Kimbrow said. "They’re all relocating there."
The second floor will house the college’s Bible and missions department and its professional adult college education department.
"The remainder of the second floor is a lecture hall with classrooms and conference rooms," he said. "The third floor is all classrooms and conference rooms. We’re doubling the classrooms on campus with just that one building."
Kimbrow said the school has doubled its enrollment in the last six years, causing the campus to outgrow itself.
"We are completely maxed out for classrooms, having to do creative scheduling now to get schedules in," Kimbrow said. He said the building is the college’s most significant construction to date.
"There is a larger building on campus, but it’s been 20 years since we’ve even built a building," he said.
In Siloam Springs, John Brown University has experienced nearly a full makeover.
"It’s quite amazing what’s been taking place," said Steve Beers, vice president for student development, academics and facilities. "I’d say over the last 10 years, about 60 percent of our campus will be either new or significantly renovated."
Currently, JBU has two major projects under way. A $5.5 million 17,000-SF building called the "Great Hall" is slated to break ground in August. It will attach to JBU’s cafeteria and feature banquet facilities for up to 500 occupants. Beers said the school is also working on two new campus apartments, each around 11,500 SF and with capacity for 44 students each. It’s a $2.8 million project that Beers said is set to break ground in August.
Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia is performing a $2 million renovation to a 1970s classroom building and its student center’s dining area.
Nelson said he expects growth on private campuses to continue.
"We’ve experienced student growth in recent years pretty much across the board," Nelson said. "I’ve tended to think the quality of the private colleges and universities in Arkansas is really one of the great untold stories in our state."
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