Summer projects bring fresh look to several areas of campus

Published: June 30, 2023

Author: Dave Bell

Most Greenville University students may not be able to articulate why their dorm room has a fresh feel when they return to campus this fall. But Barb Sands knows.

After all, as the University’s new executive director of operations, looking after the facilities is a major part of her job. She’s also the University’s controller, which means she’s overseeing the institution’s finances. Prior to taking on that dual role early this year, Sands served as the department chair of the Briner School of Business.

“We want students to have an inviting, welcoming living space,” said Sands, pictured at right. “This is their home for nine months of the year, and we want them to feel good about it. Keeping our residence halls in good shape sends a message to the students that we care about them.”

Most of the major projects are scheduled during the summer months when the residence halls are typically empty. On the agenda this summer are: painting in most residence halls, new restroom flooring in Mannoia Hall and Kinney Hall, new stacked washers and dryers in each unit of the Blankenship Apartments, furniture upgrades in several residence hall lounges, and new window blinds and curtains in several residence halls.

Additionally, roofing work was completed at the Prairie Center in May and will be done later in the summer at Hood Hall.

Crews also will be tackling several smaller projects during the summer, Sands said. Those include HVAC maintenance work, painting office areas, painting the inside walls of H.J. Long Gymnasium, and enhancing the upper level of the union with a new pool table and additional furniture (pictured below).

To make these projects possible, students living in the residence halls over the summer were consolidated into one hall so work could be done in the others. Complicating issues further were several residential camps that were held on campus throughout the summer.

With so many moving parts, it may seem overwhelming to keep track of everything. Sands partnered with the residence life and facilities departments, and worked from a spreadsheet to keep everything organized and sequenced. She wants to make sure it’s all finished when students return in August.

“We’re looking for the ‘Wow!’ reaction when students come back from summer break,” Sands said. “We hope they notice – and appreciate – the work that has been done on their behalf.”