Aurora University has a new center for learning near the main campus with classes beginning this past summer at the Aurora University Orchard Center.

The facility, located at 2245 Sequoia Drive in Aurora, near the interchange of I-88 and Orchard Road, includes nine classrooms, a computer lab, a lounge, and both faculty and administrative offices. The building is conveniently located less than five miles from the main Aurora campus

The news comes as an exciting step forward in the university’s ongoing growth. AU has been actively searching for an additional site in the Aurora area to accommodate increasing demand for the university’s undergraduate, graduate and adult degree completion programs.

The new space has the added benefit of alleviating congestion around the main campus, which is located at the intersection of Gladstone Avenue and Prairie Street.

“The Aurora University Orchard Center provides newly renovated, much-needed space for our students, advisors and faculty to learn, interact and plan for their futures,” said Donna DeSpain, Vice President for Enrollment and Executive Dean of Adult and Graduate Studies. “We are excited to be launching classes in this environment, where our students can continue to receive the personalized attention for which the university is known. The convenient location will no doubt appeal to students who are traveling to campus from their professional lives, and its close proximity to the main campus will facilitate easy access for our residential students.”

Select graduate classes will begin to utilize the space for Summer Term II, starting Monday, July 7, 2014. Students will be notified via email and the university’s internal class scheduling system of any classroom changes. A limited shuttle service is available by reservation. Contact Andrew Manion, amanion@aurora.edu, if you are taking classes at both the Orchard Center and the main campus and need transportation assistance.

Persons with questions regarding programs and classes, view the Orchard Center Frequently Asked Questions or contact the Center for Adult and Graduate Studies at 630-844-5294 or AUadmission@aurora.edu.

Also last week approximately 600 new freshmen from 29 different states are joining the AU family as well as nearly 400 transfer students. To meet the needs of new and returning students, the university is undergoing a series of enhancements that are sure to have a positive effect on academics and campus life this year.

Campus enhancement highlights inlude:

• The John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School opened last week, welcoming more than 150 area schoolchildren. The 32,000 square-foot building includes nine classrooms for third- through eighth-grade students and six labs that will be shared with Aurora University students.

• A new facade for Stephens Hall was installed this summer, adding aesthetics that complement the adjoining STEM School. During this work, new office and learning spaces were added in Stephens Hall.

• Parking lot expansions are in their final phases. University representatives worked closely with City of Aurora officials throughout the summer to maximize parking configurations on campus. As a result, approximately 200 new parking spaces will be added across three projects. Also, several new learning and activity spaces have been created, including:

• Eight renovated classrooms in the Institute for Collaboration,

• A new state-of-the-art Nursing Simulation Lab in Alumni Hall,

• New Apple computer labs in Parolini Music Center and Dunham Hall (fully equipped by early September),

• The Spartan Hideaway, a new coffee shop and lounge (opening mid-September), and

• A renovated Thornton Gymnasium, with new flooring, new bleachers and a new mezzanine (opening late September).

» The Hill Welcome Center and Schingoethe Museum is now the primary focus of AU’s construction efforts. This 20,000 square-foot structure will house gathering spaces, a recital/lecture hall and the Schingoethe collection. The building is expected to in the first part of 2015.

–News Bulletin news sources