On July 16, 2021, Vanderbilt broke ground for the construction of on-campus graduate student housing. The project aims to recruit and retain graduate and professional students as well as foster a stronger community.
“The project is designed to build community and interdisciplinary connections among these students and supports the university’s strategic priorities, including its commitment to sustainability, diversity and accessibility,” the university representative said.
The graduate student housing will be located on Broadway Avenue between Lyle and 20th Avenue. It will house 615 students in studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The complex is set to be completed in 2023.
Vanderbilt established these graduate student housing plans and started the demolition of the surrounding area in 2019, but the project was delayed until the Spring 2021 semester due to COVID-19.
Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions and Axium Infrastructure will develop, operate and maintain the housing complex as a public-private partnership (P3) with the university, per an email sent to The Hustler from a university representative. Therefore, graduate student housing is distinct from undergraduate residential life in that it is more reminiscent of apartment housing than traditional undergraduate dorms and suites.
First-year graduate student Katie Pressgrove said she appreciates that Vanderbilt is taking initiatives to create a sense of community among the graduate schools and with the rest of the university.
“It’s a great option for graduate students to have housing on campus, and I think a lot of students would be interested,” Pressgrove said.
The creation of graduate student housing is just one of many ongoing renovation projects of Vanderbilt University Graduate School (VUGS). The newly renovated Walker Management Library at the Owen Graduate School of Management and Annette and Irwin Eskind Biomedical Library and Learning Center have added more space for student and faculty collaboration and events.
Other expansions include the renovation of Owen Graduate School of Management’s Management Hall, which commenced construction in March 2021. The estimated $55 million project will extend the business school’s space by 50 percent, bringing it to a grand total of 48,000 square feet. There will also be a new café, flexible classrooms, collaboration spaces for students and a multipurpose room that can fit the entire 6,480 graduate and professional student body.
