Student Development and Center

Architect's rendering for the Student Development & Success Center. Rendering courtesy of BNBuilders | Miller Hull Partnership.

Construction for a student development and success center, located at the south end of the academic core of campus, began in late March of 2026. The 29,000-square-foot building will serve as a welcoming front door for Western and a hub for student services that support access, belonging, and success. A new welcome center will provide a meeting place for campus tours, interactive displays to learn about Western, and the opportunity to meet with current students. The presence of key student services in the same building will help prospective students and their families envision their educational path and learn about the people and services readily available to support them along the way.

It will also create more connection with, access to, and visibility for support services for current students. In accordance with Western’s adoption of the Okanagan Charter, all aspects of the center emphasize and support health, wellbeing, and sustainability. The center will directly support the university's values of access, excellence, and long-term impact in Washington state and beyond. With careful attention to aesthetics, materials, light, and functionality, the spaces are designed to be welcoming, accessible, and easy to navigate for students from all backgrounds and experiences. Collaboration, work, and learning areas will promote student and faculty interaction and offer opportunities for the experiential learning that is a hallmark of the Western education.

By offering connection to needed services in a single, highly visible location, the center will also support Western's contribution to realizing Washington State's educational goals and help make higher education more accessible, especially for traditionally underrepresented students. Students will find the support and community they need to earn their degree and achieve their career and life goals.

The student success center will be a true gathering place, with flexible event and work areas, collaboration spaces, the welcome center, a study cafe, and a variety of advising and support services. Prospective and existing students can learn and be inspired by counselors, advisors, teachers, visiting scholars, and each other. Students will have opportunities to celebrate and share their work by collaborating in the open spaces with their peers. And they can relax, decompress, and recharge to return to their projects with fresh energy and perspective. 

The design-build team for the Student Development and Success Center is BNBuilders + Miller Hull Partnership. The center is expected to open in the fall of 2027.