Opening of Armstrong Student Center Right Around the Corner

           Miami University in Oxford has 17,472 students, 2,000 acres, and about 400 student organizations. And soon, it will have something else to its name: a brand-new student center in the heart of campus.

     Armstrong Student Center, which has been in the works since 2007, is scheduled to open in January of 2014 on Spring Street. According to the university’s website, it aims to be a “24/7 hub of campus life and a family room for Miami’s students to engage one another through class work, co-curricular organizations, and social interaction”. It will be the first building on campus to be intended solely for student use, and will feature meeting rooms, new and unique dining locations, and recreational spaces, including a movie theatre.

     “The most effective and highly regarded universities today place students at the center of the educational experience,” said Nicholas Miller, chair of the center’s Board, in a statement on the site. “True to Miami’s tradition and identity, the Armstrong Student Center will serve as the family room for interactions that enhance student learning and personal and professional development.”

     Of particular interest are the new dining options. Armstrong Center will have an Asian grill, a boulangerie, and a 1950s’-style diner, among other things. A university-wide tendency towards diverse (as well as numerous) dining options is also reflected in the recently constructed MapleStreet Station, which includes a hamburger joint and a patisserie.

     Miami is not the only college that has built a center specifically for student use. The Joseph A. Steger Student Life Center at the University of Cincinnati features a computer lab and LGBTQ center in addition to many of the same facilities that Armstrong Center will have. Ohio State University, the largest university in the state, has to its name a number of centers that focus on student life, dealing with anything from student health to activities.

     The center will officially be open for 24-hour use on January 27 of 2014. There will be an opening celebration on February 7.