Editorial Board
Marywood University has finalized the purchase 10 acres of the former Scranton State School for the Deaf. Marywood has renamed the property “Marywood South Campus.”
The property will be developed in three proposed phases but, the project start date is still undetermined. This first phase of the project will be to relocate three main offices to the new south campus. Marywood’s University Advancement department which deals with fundraising will be one of the offices relocated.
This new facility will have offices for research and sponsored programs also. A security office and physical plant will reside on Marywood’s new south campus. The second phase of the project will be to relocate the offices for social work and public administration to the south campus. Marywood’s Dean of Health and Human Services will be another of many offices to be relocated. This project will also integrate the university’s Ph.D programs into the facility. During this phase six classrooms, a new lounge, and café will be opened for student use.
The final phase of the project is to relocate Marywood’s Psychological Service Center, Counseling/Student Development Center, and Communication Sciences and Disorders Clinic which are currently located in the McGowan Center. This new facility will incorporate a large amount of Marywood’s offices and services. Despite all the new offices the new campus will still have an abundance of space left over for future use. Marywood University should add a few new things to the new South Campus.
First, space should be used for off campus living for students. Marywood has a limited amount of living and many students are forced to find off campus apartments. If Marywood incorporates new living arrangements it will benefit current and future students. In addition, adding these new off campus apartments will allow Marywood to accept more students in upcoming years. Marywood should build a new activity center for students to assemble in and interact with one another. After interviewing many Marywood students, we found that many students find the activity center in Marywood’s Nazareth Student Center not large enough. The students we spoke with mentioned that if the university added more arcade machines, more craft activities, and a larger more adequate
activity center they would be more likely to assemble there.
Several other Marywood students we interviewed said they would like to see a center available for students to do more outreach and charity work. Many of these students mentioned that they found it difficult to juggle classes and go off campus to do charity work. If Marywood’s new South Campus incorporates fundraising and charity work into the facility it will help many unprivileged citizens of our community. If Marywood implements this new center for outreach work, it will give students a more positive alternative for students to spend their spare time.
These ideas should be considered by Marywoods administration because the university needs more room for these programs, services, and living quarters. Marywood has not released its intentions for the remaining space of the facility as of yet. Stay informed on the progression of Marywood’s new South Campus or voice your opinion on what the facility should incorporate at TheWoodWord.org.
