Originally published in the Midwestern Magazine, Issue 36
This fall, Midwestern will again celebrate God’s kindness in the continued renewal of our campus—a renewal that reflects the vitality of our academic programs and continues to enhance the reputations of Spurgeon College and Midwestern Seminary as premier schools at which to pursue theological training.
What is happening this fall continues a remarkable renaissance on our campus. In 2013, we completed our new chapel complex. In 2015, we completed a full renovation of our administration building, which was recently dedicated as Berquist Hall, in honor of our founding president, Dr. Millard Berquist. Also in 2015, we completed the Spurgeon Library, which houses the extant personal library of the great 19th century English Baptist, Charles Spurgeon.
When students arrived on campus this fall, they were greeted by a fully renovated Trustee Building. This building houses three crucial foci of campus life: classrooms, faculty offices, and student services. The first floor of the building is now a “one-stop shop” for student services—the headquarters for Spurgeon College greets students as they arrive, along with the Offices of Admissions, Financial Services, the Registrar, and Information Technology. On the second floor, our classrooms have been fully refreshed, including all-new, state-of-the-art technology. And opposite the classrooms are new faculty offices, which now allow the majority of our faculty to office in the heart of our main campus, in much better proximity to classrooms and, crucially, to students.
But student life at Spurgeon College is not all work! This October, we will dedicate our new 40,000 square-foot Mathena Student Center. The construction of this building was made possible by a generous lead gift from the Mathena family and the tremendous kindness of many more donors who have joined the Mathenas in investing in the next generation of leaders For the Kingdom. We expect the Mathena Student Center will quickly become the epicenter of all kinds of student life. The student center will house an all-new, expanded Sword & Trowel bookstore, an artisan coffee shop, high quality food service cafe, and multiple spaces for studying and meeting. It includes a large recreation room with games of all sorts, a full-sized gymnasium, full workout facilities, a racquetball court, a Crossfit-like box, and a childcare area to accommodate students with children. In short, the student center will prove plenty of places to hang out—whether studying or recreating.
