The end of summer at Carleton marked the conclusion of several construction projects across campus, notably the opening of the Class of 1974 Center, the opening of several new campus houses and the renovation of the interior of Musser Hall. A number of campus offices, including Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), Human Resources and International Student Life have moved into new homes in these spaces.
SHAC was previously located in a converted residential space on the ground floor of Davis Hall. The May 2014 Facilities Master Plan strongly encouraged the college to seriously consider the construction of a new space to hold these services, and the establishment of this new space was recommended again in the 2021 Carleton Housing Study. SHAC is now housed in the Class of 1974 Center alongside the Title IX office, Human Resources and the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR).
“The 1974 space doubles the number of exam rooms, provides soundproof and private spaces dedicated to counseling, offers a dedicated space for students with tele-health appointments and offers procedure and lab rooms,” said Dean of Students Carolyn Livingston.
She added that the other offices in the building benefit from added space: Human Resources has increased its number of confidential meeting rooms, and the OAR has created additional testing space. The new location of the OAR offices are also more accessible for students with mobility concerns, a contrast to the old building.
Generally, the reception of the new building and general campus construction has been positive.
“I am surprised and pleased by how much the college community is interested in the construction that is happening on campus,” Associate Vice President of Facilities and Capital Planning Linda Weingarten said. Weingarten added that she feels people on campus really care about having both aesthetically pleasing and functional spaces.
The end of summer also marked the opening of several new campus townhouses, including Hodgson House, Sundem House and Watanabe Hall, which houses the Office of International Student Life (ISL) and the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC). The GSC was formerly located in Eugster House after the demolition of its previous building, and ISL was able to vacate its office in the basement of the Sayles-Hill Campus Center and return the space to the Student Activities Office.
Musser Hall also underwent primarily interior renovations this summer, including carpet replacements, painting and the installation of new furniture in floor lounges.
Weingarten said that residence halls receive these updates approximately every 16 years. Myers Hall, which was constructed at the same time as Musser Hall in 1958, received its last interior update in 2019. The two buildings face many of the same issues as they age. According to Weingarten, the facilities team has been working on interior air quality in both buildings for several years, upgrading the air conditioning and ventilation systems. This past summer, fans were added to Musser Hall rooms to better distribute central air, and a similar update is planned for Myers Hall within the next year.
With the construction of new campus housing, some students have wondered whether the college is planning to end the already limited option of off-campus living available to students during their senior year. Known as the Northfield Option, a select number of rising seniors can use their housing draw to apply to live entirely off-campus. The number of students who can access this option remains low and competes with market pressures from St. Olaf College, which housed students in off-campus townhouses and hotels last year. The Carleton Housing plan expressed a goal of having townhouses represent 20% of on-campus housing options. The plan also allows for approximately 55 students to live off-campus each year.
“Additional on campus housing will reduce Northfield Option but there are no plans to eliminate the Northfield Option,” said Dean Livingston.
Campus construction remains ongoing; Rice House, Parish House, Douglass House and Page House are closed for construction for the 2025-2026 academic year, and the basement of Davis is undergoing renovations. New housing will continue to open into the 2026-2027 academic year alongside shifts to the Carleton and Northfield residential landscape.
According to Weingarten, prioritizing campus construction projects is a part of the five-year capital investment plan,which must be approved annually by the Capital Funding and Planning Committee and Board of Trustees. The projects must also be aligned with the Campus Facilities Plan (approved in May 2025), which outlines high-priority construction projects such as the building of a new pool near the Recreation Center and renovations of Leighton and Willis.
