LBJ Expansion and Looking Forward

By Lauren Jurgemeyer
Web Content Contributor

The construction on the LBJ student center began in late July of 2018 and is projected to conclude in May of 2020; most recently, the Lair’s Chick-fil-A has been closed for renovation.

As of Nov. 2, the Lair’s Chick-fil-A closed for renovation and will not reopen until Spring of 2019. Once it reopens, Chick-fil-A will have an extended menu. The rest of the food court, sans Chick-fil-A and Starbucks (which is set to close later this month for a remodel), will remain open during the expansion.

The LBJ student center opened in 1998 when the school’s enrollment was only 21,000 students. According to the Facts and Data sheet, Texas State University, as of Fall 2018, has a total of 38,661 students enrolled at the university. The aim of the construction is to repair and expand infrastructure on the interior and exterior of the student center.

According to the Financial and Support Services Division, the student center will be expanded from approximately 30,000 square-feet to 40,000 square-feet. As a result of the renovation, the current lobby will be refurbished; in addition, a second ballroom, meeting rooms, student gathering areas and a multi-cultural center will be added. The Welcome Center will be expanded and an Alumni Center for Alumni Relations will be added.

The Texas State University System Board of Regents met in Feb. 2018 and approved the project which was designed by Atkins Architects of Austin and Vaughn Construction of San Antonio are in charge of the construction. The whole endeavor costs approximately $41,425,366, but the final cost remains to be seen.

Students like Lillian Almaguer, a sophomore here at Texas State, are excited for the expansion and are looking forwards to the construction to be finished. Almaguer said, “I can’t wait to see what it’s going to look like in reality!”

While the result of the construction will no doubt be exciting, students have been struggling with the alternate routes to get around campus. Almaguer said, “My challenge is getting to class on time. I have to try and make it from the music building to LBJ in 10 minutes.”

Currently the South entrance of the student center is closed for construction, and students have been given a walkway path that leads to the North side of the student center and the bus loop for entrance to the facility.

For more information, questions or comments you may have regarding the expansion and its progress, email: growcatsgrow@txstate.edu.

Featured screenshot taken via The Financial and Support Service Division.