William Peace to give campus a makeover

The Hermann Athletic Center will be the first building upgraded, with the addition of a fitness center, weight rooms, home and visiting locker rooms for both female and male athletes, a field house for spring training and intramural space, a training room, offices and a studio for dance aerobics classes. The changes will accommodate the university’s expansion into three men’s sports in the fall, officials said.

At the student center, the bookstore will move from Belk Hall to free up meeting and recreational space. Renovations there will include an updated dining hall, coffee shop, student game and lounge space and student government offices.

The bookstore will move to the current location of the maintenance offices, which will in turn be relocated to a building on the back campus.

The school's Board of Trustees voted to bring the President’s House, which is located near North Hills, back to downtown Raleigh in an effort to increase meeting and entertainment space for students, faculty, staff, alumnae and community members.

Additional long-term improvements planned by the university include investments in energy-saving devices and information technology initiatives, officials said.