Wilbur Wright College Welcomes Students With Renovated Facilities

By: Angelina Munoz

During the summer of 2024, Wright College made renovations of outdoor and indoor spaces on campus. 

The most noticeable renovations are the walkways that lead to the parking garage, the main lot, and the new backdrop in the events building.

Regarding the new walkways, the floors are even, and there were no holes or slippery surfaces. 

The old concrete benches were removed and replaced with a smooth material and are designed around each tree, and black lamp posts illuminate every corner of the walkway.  

James “Jim” Roussel, lead security officer, has worked at Wright College for the past 2 years. He expressed, “there was a lot of crumbling and we had people tripping or falling.” 

Additionally, he voiced, that these situations were mostly in winter, however, a great part of the problem was the bumpy state of the walkways.

The new walkway connects to the parking garage with the building. Photo by Angelina Munoz

“People were struggling with wheelchairs,” Rousell said. He showed his approval of this improvement. 

“We want to make it very safe for all of our students to get in and out around the campus,” he said.

The Atrium, which is a part of the Events Building, was updated. A brand-new backdrop was installed in front of the glass entryway doors. 

The space, used often for conferences and seminars, was amplified to give access to a larger number of people. To do so, the large concrete kiosks were removed.

The Engineering Success Seminar, a course offered each semester, needs to accommodate more than 100 students, according to Dr. Doris Espiritu.

Espiritu, Dean of the faculty of the Center of Excellence for Engineering and Computer Science, had taught the course in a regular-sized classroom until two years ago. 

The course only has one section and is an obligatory requirement for engineering and computer science students.

Espiritu mentioned the number of first-year students increases each fall semester, and they need more space.

“Right now, more than 100 students are taking this course,” she said. As a result, more chairs were added to the Atrium.

First floor of the Events Building. Photo by Angelina Munoz

The renovations in the Atrium will not only benefit the engineering students, but the rest of the college, Espiritu said.

Anna-Marie Morales, Director of the Business Service, commented that the added backdrop in the back of the Atrium was put up to perform more high-profile events. 

The main reason for the improvements in the Atrium was because of the engineering program. “The engineering program was the catalyst for that change,” she said.

She also mentioned that more renovations are coming to the campus soon. “There will be potential renovations for the LRC (Learning Resource Center) building,” Morales said. 

All the renovations done are meant “to improve the students’ experience,” Morales said. Wilbur Wright College Welcomes Students With Renovated Facilities.