News Release
Contact
David Bernard
Public Relations Associate,
Public Relations
320 DuPont Highway
New Castle, DE
19720
david.bernard@wilmu.edu
Wilmington University Breaking Ground on New Campus This Spring
Concord Pike proposal wins county councilors' approval
Construction is scheduled to begin this spring on Wilmington University's new Concord Pike campus following New Castle County Council's final approval of the 10-year expansion plan.
A 41-acre field at the intersection of Concord Pike (U.S. Route 202) and Beaver Valley Road in Brandywine Hundred, north of downtown Wilmington and minutes from the Delaware-Pennsylvania border, could host classes of WilmU students as early as the fall of 2018.
The university's plan proposes a three-story classroom and student center building on the $11 million parcel, with an adjoining tree-lined parking lot. It also accounts for the possibility of adding two more buildings in the event that increasing enrollment demands them. In total, the campus could accommodate 250 employees and 1,000 students.
University president Dr. Jack Varsalona applauded the council's February 28 approval in the name of improved educational prospects for county residents. "We would like to thank our neighbors for accepting us into the community and helping us plan what will be an exceptional learning opportunity for our students," he said.
In an effort to conserve the natural setting of the Concord Pike site, landscape architects have designed the campus around an existing wooded area and pond. The University will preserve a historic schoolhouse and barn on the property and will incorporate refreshed walking trails and sustainable development practices into the plan.
The red brick, stone and glass construction of the proposed buildings is intended to reflect the character of the surrounding Brandywine Valley as well as the university's New Castle and Dover campuses. Homsey Architects, the firm behind the proposal, contributed designs to both of those sites, as well as to the Delaware Art Museum and the renovation of Wilmington's Queen Theater.
Bushes, trees and fencing will create a 100-foot setback between the campus and the adjacent roads. The primary entrance will be located on Beaver Valley Road, with a secondary entrance at the shopping center on Rocky Run Parkway. No traffic will enter from or exit to Concord Pike.
Forty-two percent of the university's enrollment is made up of New Castle County residents. Demand for more nearby class locations has outpaced the supply of classrooms and computer labs offered by the space the school rents at the Concord Plaza office park on Silverside Road. While the university's New Castle location will remain its main campus and house most of its administrative offices, the Concord Pike campus will prove convenient for WilmU's large percentage of Wilmington area students.
About Wilmington University
Wilmington University is a private, nonprofit institution committed to providing flexible, career-oriented, traditional and online associate, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Ranked as the second fastest growing nonprofit doctoral institution in America 2004 – 2014 by The Almanac of The Chronicle of Higher Education, affordable tuition, academic excellence and individualized attention are hallmarks of the University that enable greater student success in their chosen careers. For more information, contact Wilmington University at 302-356-INFO (4636), via email at infocenter@wilmu.edu, or visit our website: www.wilmu.edu.
