Campus Enhancements
Every gift makes an impact on the University community.
Brother James Gaffney, FSC, Student Center
This new hub on campus will include offices for student organizations and student government; soft seating and gathering spaces for residential, commuter, undergraduate and graduate students; three meeting/conference rooms; a 24-hour convenience store and café; a gaming area which includes three multimedia areas and arcade; a new dining hall with over 360 seats; and private dining rooms that students can reserve for meetings. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Spring 2017, with construction anticipated to be completed by Fall 2018. [Livestreaming of construction] [Photos] [Full Story]
St. Charles Borromeo Center
Lewis University purchased the St. Charles Borromeo property, which adjoins its campus, in the summer of 2013 to accommodate increasing enrollment and expansion of its academic programs. Located on Route 53 and Airport Road in Romeoville, the St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Center, which now will be known as the Saint Charles Borromeo Center, and adjoining property consists of approximately 140,000 sq. ft. of space on 40 acres of land. Significant remodeling has taken place, and classes are now being taught there. [Full Story] [Photos]
College of Nursing and Health Professions
More than 100 Lewis University students, faculty, staff, alumni, and invited guests gathered Wednesday, Sept. 24 to participate in the Open House and Blessing ceremony for an addition to the College of Nursing and Health Professions.
The 24,000 square-foot expansion of the College of Nursing and Health Professions’ facilities includes three new state-of-the-art simulation labs, high fidelity simulated manikins, a viewing room to provide an opportunity for faculty to observe student performance, four classrooms, additional faculty offices, conference rooms, several student gathering spaces and a café. Wight & Company designed and constructed the addition. Lewis University staff collaborated with Wight & Company, by completing most of the renovations and some of the preparatory work for the construction project. Lewis University nursing graduates have achieved excellent results in the NCLEX national nursing exam, earning marks well over the national averages and posting a 98 per cent pass rate this year after two straight years at 100 percent pass rate. [Full Story] [Photos]
Wadsworth Family Plaza
Lewis University officially opened the Brent and Jean Wadsworth Family Plaza on Monday, October 14, with a blessing and dedication in the beautifully landscaped plaza that features an impressive three-tiered fountain. Nearly 100 students, faculty, staff, and administrators attended the very brief and informal ceremony to start water flowing in the fountain.
Designed as a place for those on campus to relax outdoors in a serene setting, the Wadsworth Family Plaza is located between the Academic Building and the Oremus Fine Arts Center on the Lewis University main campus in Romeoville. It features the magnificent fountain, paver paths for those going to and from the Fine Arts Center, a covered arbor walkway, a sitting wall, colorful ornamental plants, a rose garden and environmentally-friendly landscaping. [Full Story] [Photos]
Oremus Fine Arts Center
The expanded Oremus Fine Arts Center at Lewis University was rededicated in March 2013. The center is home to the vibrant theatre, art and music programs on the Lewis main campus, and serves as a cultural resource for Will County, the southwest Cook County area and DuPage County. Enhancements to the Oremus Fine Arts Center include the Brent and Jean Wadsworth Family Art Gallery, a new Studio Theatre, renovations to the main lobby, gathering and meeting spaces, expanded scenery and costume areas and a percussion room for music. Central to the enhancements is the Art Gallery, consisting of three rooms, including the Clifford and Rita Berglund Community Room, for flexibility in presenting exhibits and showcasing student and professional art; and the new, flexible theatre space – the Studio Theatre – which will serve as a creative classroom, rehearsal and production venue.
The new art gallery hosts several shows throughout the year by students, faculty, and Chicago based artists. One of the most highly-utilized buildings on campus, the Oremus Fine Arts Center hosts hundreds of student performances, concerts, community events and lectures each year and is visited by more than 28,000 patrons from surrounding communities. Along with the Lewis theatre department, many groups use the Lewis theatre facilities for meetings, rehearsals or performances. These include the Arts & Ideas Touring Series, Heritage Theatre Company, Alphabet Soup Productions, and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. [Full Story] [Photos]
New Oak Brook Regional Campus
In February 2013, Lewis University dedicated its new Oak Brook regional campus, doubling the space offered at its previous site in a location that is more accessible to its many adult students. Lewis has offered educational programs in Oak Brook for the past 34 years, providing convenient access to programs that meet the needs of working adults. The new facility allows the University the opportunity to expand its offerings, which currently include degree programs in business, finance, education, nursing, organizational leadership, healthcare leadership, criminal/social justice and public safety administration.
The regional site was relocated at the beginning of the spring semester and occupies the entire 7th floor of the building at 1111 West 22nd St., which has an external sign visible to the expressways and the Oak Brook Shopping Center. The site includes about 30,000 sq. ft. of 15 classrooms, three conference rooms, offices, two computer labs, and computer workstations. There is also a specialized lab for the College of Nursing and Health Professions Adult and Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program as well as the Family Nurse Practitioner program. The new facility offers a parking garage and is immediately accessible from major tollways and 22nd Street in Oak Brook. [Full Story] [Photos]
Science Center
Lewis University opened its new Science Center to the public with a Dedication Ceremony on Friday, March 23, 2012 on the University’s main campus in Romeoville. Brother James Gaffney, FSC, President of Lewis University, led university representatives in dedicating the building, which opened for classes in January 2012. The 50,000 square-foot addition of the new Science Center features 12 labs, six prep labs, eight research facilities, three conference rooms, classrooms with Smart Boards, faculty/staff offices and gathering spaces with terrazzo floors. The top level of the three-story $18 million structure features biology labs, the second floor focuses on chemistry areas, and the lower level is dedicated to physics.
Students and faculty have access to additional new equipment, such as a fluorescent microscope and a 96-well plate reader, but also better storage areas for the equipment. Every research lab and preparatory room has a refrigerator and fume hood. Although the facility will be used extensively by science students, the Science Center serves every student of the university as part of the liberal arts curriculum. Students taking science courses as a requirement of general education and students in science-related fields, such as nursing and aviation, will be utilizing the center. Lewis University has the largest undergraduate nursing enrollment in Illinois and is the only school in Illinois to be selected by the FAA to offer an Air Traffic Control program.
In the last five years, Lewis University has experienced nearly 50 percent increase in enrollment in undergraduate science programs. Programs include: Biochemistry, Biology, Chemical Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Environmental Science, Forensic Chemistry, Natural Science, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Nursing, Physics, Podiatric Medicine, Radiation Therapy, Radiography and Vascular Ultrasound Technology. Pre-professional programs include: Pre-Chiropractic, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Engineering, Pre-Law, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Optometry, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Physical Therapy, Pre-Physician Assistant and Pre-Veterinary Medicine. The new Science Center also provides enhanced facilities and an atmosphere for many research projects funded by the Colonel Stephen S. and Lyla Doherty Center for Aviation and Health Research Center at Lewis University. The center promotes scholarship among faculty, students and community partners in aviation and health. Projects are in various areas, such as nanotechnology, laser optics, computer and environmental science research. [Full Story] [Photos]