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ST. GEORGE — Similar to the city of St. George and Washington County, Utah Tech University is growing as more and more students flock to the southernmost part of the Beehive State.
After seven consecutive years of growth, the fall 2022 semester saw the university's enrollment rise to 12,556 students — its largest student body in history. With such rapid growth, it naturally follows that the increase in students demands an increase in housing options for those students.
"With our enrollment increasing, there are not as many beds as students would like to see so the supply has not met the demand as our enrollment growth has continued to move upward," said Seth Gubler, Utah Tech's executive director of auxiliaries and director of housing and resident life.
On that note, Utah Tech University broke ground Thursday on the third and final phase of its on-campus student housing complex, Campus View Suites III.
In the fall of 2016, the university opened Campus View Suites I, followed by the opening of Campus View Suites II in the fall of 2021.
These two on-campus living complexes added a combined total of 886 beds for students to live on campus.
"A lot of students want to live on campus. There's a different experience when you are close to your classes and you have the hands-on approach that the university provides," Gubler said.
The third phase of Campus View Suites is set to be open for the fall 2024 semester and will be 164,600 square feet, housing 564 students.
Gubler said the approximate cost for all three of these projects together is $135 million.
This facility will allow more students to live on campus and be steps away from academic resources such as tutoring, peer coaching and study groups, as well as take advantage of student life activities and offerings.
"When you're living in campus housing, you are seconds to minutes from your classroom, so it's easier to show up in the morning," Gubler said.
Campus housing also carries a lot of weight when establishing a sense of community, something many students are seeking to find in higher education.
"A student might naturally feel like they're a part of a community, make more friends and establish stronger ties and bonds to the university," Gubler said. "Data shows that a student is more likely to not only stay matriculated but achieve higher grades, get more involved on campus and be happier if they establish that strong relationship."
Campus View Suites III will include a fitness room, a multipurpose room, laundry facilities on each floor, indoor bike storage and housing staff offices.
The building will also include a grocery store stocked with fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy on the first level as well as a game room. Large common kitchens will be located on each floor with full-size cooking appliances and living rooms with large TVs and furniture. Private and shared study rooms also will be included on each floor.
Additionally, Campus View Suites III will fully connect Utah Tech's on-campus housing corridor on the northeast corner of campus, bringing all three Campus View Suites into proximity with one another.
"UT Facilities Management is excited to partner with DFCM, Layton Construction and Method Studio to provide another phase of on-campus living," Jon Gibb, Utah Tech's director of facilities planning and construction, said in a statement. "Our team is excited to work on this 564-bed complex over the next 18 months and to be a part of providing campus living solutions for Utah Tech students. Campus View Suites phase three will be exactly what you'd want in campus living."
