The Howard Project: new coffee shop and dorm renovations are happening
Cooper Kelley, Staff Writer
Photo by Cooper Kelley
The smell of coffee coming from behind Turner Chapel. Being able to wake up and get a quick coffee or find a good spot to study on a late night. This is what the new coffee shop on campus is going to bring for the North Greenville University students.
The new renovations are titled the “Howard Project” because all of the renovations are happening in the old Howard residence hall. Howard Hall has been shut down for a while and is projected to re-open next August with a new look.
Vice President of Campus Ministry and Student Engagement, Jared Thomas, said, “This project is going to modify all of Howard and that center space between Howard and Simpson.”
Howard Hall is a three-story dorm and is connected to the freshman dorm, Simpson Hall. There is currently a temporary wall between the two dorms.
Thomas said, “This project is going to do everything right of that wall and completely remodel it.”
The top two floors of Howard Hall will remain residence halls and the bottom floor will be a coffee shop and common area.
Thomas said, “We want it [the coffee shop] to be students serving students and want it to have extended hours. So we’re at the stage where we’re having to look at the financials of it, but we’re trying to find a way that it’s open until like 10 or 11 o’clock. Post-COVID, there’s no coffee houses or any places that really stay open.”
The point of the coffee house is to not only provide coffee, but provide for the students. Thomas’ vision is a place where students can have coffee, hang out, study and have a space truly meant for the students.
Not only do they want the students in the coffee shop, but they also picture the students running the coffee shop.
Thomas said, “There might be business internship opportunities, things of that sort. There always needs to be a marketing person. That’d be a business internship where they’re also getting credit for the internship and business management in general.”
There is also a plan in place for the profits from the coffee shop.
Thomas said, “Our hope is that profit actually returns back to the students. So, scholarship funding, mission mobilization and things of that sort. So, it’s coffee for a purpose, for the students. A third space, but also reinvestment into the student body.”
As for the dorm renovations, they are thinking more apartment-style living. The dorm would still be a female residents dorm, and there will still be four upperclassman girls to a dorm.
Thomas said, “In Howard’s concept, we are taking the suite and one side will be sleeping quarters and the other side is going to be living quarters. So, TV, living room, small kitchenette with a provided fridge, microwave and sink.”
The dorm is set to open up as a premium housing option.
The prospective end date for the Howard Project is August 1, 2027.
Thomas said, “What you can expect to see maybe would be like press releases and websites are going to start coming out and giving project updates. So eventually, everyone’s going to be able to see ‘Hey, we broke ground this week. Hey, this happened. Hey, we’ve started work on this.’ Eventually, I’ll drop the menu for the coffee shop and get feedback on that.”
Marketing student, Victoria Mahaffey, said she was happy they are finally putting in a coffee shop.
Mahaffey said, “I thought I heard something about a coffee shop a while ago, but I’m glad they’re actually putting one on campus.”
Mahaffey also said she would consider doing marketing work for the coffee shop if she could get a class credit for it.
