A University Transformed

The most obvious changes at the University in the 17 years of David P. Roselle’s presidency are the many expansions and improvements to the physical campus itself—frequently cited as one of the most attractive in the country.

Since 1990, UD has increased its number of buildings from 406 to 456 and its square footage by 1.7 million. During that same time, a total of $900 million has been or soon will be spent on new construction and major renovations.

The work has covered almost all aspects of UD, from classroom buildings and research labs to residence halls and athletics facilities. Extending beyond Newark, projects have included Arsht Hall on the Wilmington campus, the Paradee Center in Dover and the Carvel Center in Georgetown. One brand-new laboratory isn’t even a building. The 146-foot Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp first docked at the Lewes, Del., campus in 2006.

Each project has focused on function as well as beauty. Among new buildings, Gore Hall’s classrooms feature the latest in technology to facilitate teaching and learning; Lerner Hall includes the three-story Tyler Atrium and other space suitable for hosting business speakers and events; Laird Campus residence halls house 1,000 students in modern facilities named for the three early graduates, Read, McKean and Smith, who are signers of the Declaration of Independence; the Trabant University Center gives students room to mingle and attend events, with quiet study space in its Daugherty Hall section; and the Bob Carpenter Center is the home for Blue Hen basketball and other events.

A few of the renovations in recent years were Du Pont Hall and Colburn Lab, both with state-of-the-art engineering research facilities; the Early Learning Center, providing quality child care as well as a site for student practicums and faculty research; Bayard Sharp Hall and its centerpiece, the Jefferson pipe organ; Jastak-Burgess Hall, two former fraternity houses joined and remodeled for the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures; and Mechanical Hall, remodeled into an art gallery for the Paul R. Jones Collection.