FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — Now that students have left campus, work is underway at Fresno Pacific University.
Thanks to a $3 million gift from a private donor, the institution is working on updates and upgrades that will help students in the long run.
Vice President of Student Development Jake Gilbertson says four classrooms are getting ready to be transformed.
Along with new carpet and paint, it will have more white boards and new furniture to allow for better collaboration.
“It really will just be a better environment for students to learn, to connect with each other and to grow,” Gilbertson said.
The donation allowed for the purchase of laptops, which students will be able to checkout if they need one.
Outside, crews have been working on top of the Warkentine Culture and Arts Center to install solar panels.
Gilbertson says the college is happy to do their part when it comes to sustainability.
He says it’ll also help them reduce how much they pay for electricity.
“So it looks like it will save us about $70,000 a year in energy costs and, again, that means we can use that money to better support students for scholarships and things like that,” Gilbertson said.
Weekly chapel is normally held inside the WCAC, but because of the growing amount of attendees, it will move over to the Special Events Center.
New bleachers and a new screen will be installed for use during weekly chapel and athletic events.
“And so really excited about what that video screen will do for those events, as well as for chapel and inviting the community to come together and worship,” Gilbertson said.
Gilbertson says large donations, like this one, helps FPU continue to give students scholarships while keeping the campus in great shape.
He says he hopes students see the changes and feel the momentum.
“I think this round of upgrades is really just that next step of saying, ‘How do we give students what they really deserve?’ Which is excellence in facilities and programming and academics,” Gilbertson said.
The majority of the projects will be complete by the time students return in the fall.
The last project will be the bleachers in the Special Event Center. Those will be installed in December.
