Well over 100 community leaders, Ohio State Marion and Marion Technical College students, faculty, staff, alumni, and administration came together to officially celebrate the grand reopening of the Alber Student Center on the Marion campus during a Marion Area Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting and Open House event held Wednesday, August 25th.
After a year of renovation work to the building, the student center opens just in time for the start of autumn semester for thousands of Ohio State Marion and Marion Technical College students returning to campus in person after nearly two years of virtual learning.
The building, which was originally constructed in 1986, underwent phase 1 of a 2 part renovation project (phase 2 to come). Investing over $2 million in the space, the center of student life on the Marion campus now features a dedicated café where students can purchase food items, coffee, and refreshments via the Grubhub app on their phones, credit/debit card, or their student ID. The Marion Café is run by Ohio State's University Dining Services and is a major step toward transitioning the campus from a commuter to a residential campus. The opening of the café has been temporarily postponed, but university officials hope to open the space in the early weeks of autumn semester.
The newly renovated space features a remodeled and expanded fitness center and a lounge area for students with high tech projection system, multiple wall mounted tv's, multiple seating groups for students to relax, study, or just catch up with friends. Additionally, the building now boasts a multi-purpose classroom area, welcome desk, campus ID center, and renovated offices.
Riverside Ice Cream was on hand at the event, providing free scoops of ice cream to the first 200 guests. The OSU Alumni Club of Marion County provided cookies and refreshments. Members of Marion County Board of Developmental Disabilities Adult Day services volunteer to craft hundreds of buckeye necklaces for attendees to enjoy.
The Alber Student Center is home to staff from the Office of Student Life - Diversity and Inclusion as well as Campus Recreation, and is supported by a team of student workers. The building will continue to host campus, and community activities and events, such as basketball, volleyball, rock climbing, gaming, movie nights, Beat Michigan Week activities, the Marion Area Chamber of Commerce annual auction event, alumni club events, welcome and convocation days on campus, and much more.