Dalton State students roast marshmallows during a bonfire at Wood Valley Apartments, which is currently used as on-campus housing. Construction on more traditional housing is planned to begin in the spring.
Dalton State is a step closer to beginning construction on on-campus housing after the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved a developer this week.
Corvias Campus Living, based in Rhode Island, was awarded the bid in the initial phase of the University System’s Public-Private Partnership for on-campus housing. The $517 million agreement includes developing 3,683 new beds and managing 6,196 existing beds for the next 65 years for the University System. That agreement includes approximately 350 beds at Dalton State.
“The selection of Corvias as the partner in our new student housing project represents the culmination of 18 months of work,” said Dr. Jodi Johnson, vice president of student affairs. “Working with the University System personnel and the other schools in the P3 project, we first assessed campus needs and student demand, and then undertook a rigorous selection process. We are excited to begin work soon on the design process. We anticipate being able to incorporate community building features such as common gathering spaces and computer labs, as well as state of the art access controls and security for our residents.”
The new dorms will help Dalton State continue to evolve and grow into a more traditional four-year school, said Dr. John Schwenn, president of Dalton State.
“Residential students add vibrancy to campus life you cannot get with a commuter population, which is what Dalton State was for many years,” Dr. Schwenn said. “Campus housing brings 24-hour life to the college. There is a sense of community here now that we didn’t have before.”
Construction is set to begin at the end of the spring semester and should be complete July 2016. The dorms will replace the current Wood Valley Apartments, which Dalton State has been using as on-campus housing since 2009. The apartments and 11 acres were purchased by the Dalton State Foundation in 2005 to be used for future growth of the college.
"Dalton State is no longer just a place where people go to school,” Dr. Schwenn said. “It is a place where people live. Traditional on-campus housing will help us better serve our students.”
The new housing will help Dalton State bring in more students from outside the region, he said.
The P3 initiative is expected to help maintain the affordability of housing for students and improve the fiscal health of the University System by providing financial tools and resources while reducing student-housing debt by nearly $300 million.
Dalton State remains one of the most affordable public four-year institutions in the country. This partnership and agreement is designed to keep costs down for students, said officials.