The Spectrum

Issue date: 1/25/07 Section: He Said/She Said

Rob Roy

Sacred Heart University has grown in leaps and bounds over the past two decades.

Along with this growth there have been vast improvements and changes throughout the University. Sacred Heart has grown in many ways such as the size of the student body, the recent national accredidation, the school of business has been named for Jack Welch of GE, the University has built new residence halls and varsity sports are beginning to compete in both the NEC and on the national scene more consistently with 30+ Division 1 sports.

All of these strides have been immense for the students, employees and administration. However, there are still some concerns which need to be addressed in the future of Sacred Heart University if we want to continue to grow as we have in the past 20 years.

First, athletic facilities are in great need. The Pitt Center is a great facility however; it is always packed between the 30+ teams and public use.

There is always a need for more space and our facilities will need to grow accordingly to the size of them University's student body. Money is always an issue for any small university, but growth in funding will be a must in the future to have such structures like a hockey rink, a baseball stadium and a varsity weight room.

Secondly, parking is a constant issue here at SHU. More parking spaces for students, employees and visitors will need to increase as the University grows. A parking garage is a great idea for either South Lot or the lot next to financial aid. SHU has grown so rapidly that we have not had the time to expand to meet the needs of a bigger student population. In the future this will need to be addressed.

Next, Sacred Heart will need to continue to grow the size of their residence halls as the number of applications and accepted students increases.

Christian Witness Commons (formerly North Hall) is only a few years old, and has been a great addition to the campus. Once again, this is much like the parking situation, where the university has grown so fast that simple "space" has become scarce, and the campus needs to grow in size to address the growth and potential of the university. Sacred Heart has done everything possible to expand in these two aspects (housing and parking) with limited time and in time the campus will grow to meet these changes.

Overall, the administration of Sacred Heart University has done an exceptional job of addressing the huge growth over the recent years. Sacred Heart has been accepting more and more students and the university has gone from a once commuter only school to a standout among the Catholic universities in the New England and the Tri-State area with rising academics and 30+ D1 sports teams.

Only time will allow this University to expand to its full potential. The growth in athletics, academics and the student body will always create concerns, however, we have adjusted relatively well and our University is destined for great success over the next decade.

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