Stevens marks transformative change with grand opening of University Center Complex

Higher education institutions like to talk about their graduation rates — and job placement rates for their outgoing students. After all, they are the ultimate measure of how schools are preparing their students for the work world.

Stevens Institute of Technology certain scores extraordinarily well in both areas.

When it comes to attracting incoming students, meanwhile, it’s nice to have buildings and amenities of the top level.

Stevens now has that, too.

This weekend, the University Center Complex formally unveiled a two-story structure that dominates the landscape of the Hoboken campus.

The complex features two dormitory towers (19 and 21 stories high) with room for approximately 1,000 students. Those towers are connected by a state-of-the-art, three-story University Center, which will serve as a true campus hub, providing many different types of spaces for an array of activities and opportunities for students, including conference rooms, game rooms and dining facilities.

Stevens, by the numbers

Stevens Institute of Technology is on the rise — literally. Some highlights of Stevens’ transformational progress in the past decade include:

38%: Increase in full-time faculty and lecturers;

67%: Increase in undergraduate enrollment;

73%: Increase in full-time equivalent graduate enrollment;

95%: Percentage of the Class of 2021 who secured employment outcomes or entered graduate school within six months of graduation, with a record average starting salary of $77,000;

97%: Increase in research award funding;

98%: Increase in the number of women undergraduates;

100%: Percentage of classrooms renovated with AV/IT upgrades;

145 points: Increase in the average SAT score of first-year cohort;

149%: Increase in the number of underrepresented minorities in the undergraduate cohort;

$200 million: Amount of successfully completed capital campaign.

During construction, Stevens President Nariman Farvardin said the University Center Complex will become the focal point and crown jewel of the campus.

“This magnificent building will not only provide the type of facilities that materially enhance our capabilities and provide world-class space and views to our community, but it will be an architectural jewel that will make our beautiful campus even more so,” he said.

The towers, which will open next fall, feature an exterior terrace that overlooks the Hudson River and the New York City skyline, offering a stunning venue for formal and informal gatherings.

The terrace not only will bring great views of Manhattan, it also will provide Manhattan with a reminder that Stevens is just across the river.

Not that the school is starving for attention.

Stevens officials said interest in the university is surging, and the number of freshmen applications has been setting a record for each of the past six years. The towers will enable the school to nearly double the number of students who live on campus.

And, keeping in line with the mission and vision of the university, the complex was created with sustainability in mind, as it includes stormwater management through green roofs and rain gardens. And just having more students on campus will reduce the need for shuttle bus service, further reducing carbon impact.

The complex is the largest in the school’s 150-year history.

Farvardin, who just completed his 10th year at the school, said the transformative project should be recognized for more than its size. It is not just a symbol of the future, but one that represents the present.

“During the difficult times of the pandemic, this construction project has been a symbol of progress, hope and happiness,” he said.