By: April Burnett, Online Editor
As Newman students have probably noticed, a chunk of Dugan Library has been taken over by construction for a long time now. That is because a new Student Success Center is being built there, and when it’s finished, it will include a new coffee shop.
The center, which is taking over the spot that the Newman bookstore vacated in 2020, should be finished around mid-October or November, said Andi Geisen, Newman’s Dean of Students.
She said the school picked the location for the new center strategically. Instead of being on the third floor of Sacred Heart, where it is now, the new center in the library will be a better place for students to study and be closer to library resources.
Giesen also said that since the new section of the library will encompass everything falling under the umbrella of the Student Success Center, it will offer more than just a study space. The center also will be where students get tutoring and where the Title IX coordinator will be based.
Another part of the new Student Success Center that will interest students: a coffee shop. There used to be a coffee shop located in the Dugan Library called Newman Grind, which opened in 2019 but never reopened after students returned to campus post-COVID-19 shutdowns. Prior to that, a Scooter’s operated in the space
Geisen said that the coffee shop will be run by Newman and will offer “a variety of snacks and things…It’s more than coffee and drinks.”
She said the shop also will serve things like sandwiches and desserts —“just the right amount for a mid-day meal.”
The Newman University Instagram account shared a post earlier this month, asking people to choose between four possible names for the coffee shop: Jet Fuel Cafe, John Henry’s, Sacred Grounds, or Jetway Cafe. The final name choice will be announced before the coffee shop opens.
The plan is that the coffee shop will accept students’ dining dollars.
PHOTO: Sydney Endicott, Photographer
