Vantage Staff
Newman University celebrated the grand opening on Friday of the long-awaited new Student Success Center in Dugan Library with a ribbon cutting attended by President Kathleen Jagger plus many administrators, students and staff members.
The highlight of the event was a look at the new Sacred Grounds Coffee & Cafe, which is now open and serving students. It took over a spot that until 2018 was occupied by a Scooter’s coffee shop, which was followed by a Newman-run coffee shop called The Newman Grind. It closed during the pandemic in 2020.
Sacred Grounds, which is run by Newman food provider Great Western Dining, serves coffee and other hot drinks plus wood-fired pizza, grab-and-go sandwiches, breakfast items and more. It is open during the day when the Mabee Dining Center is closed: from 9 to 11 a.m. and from 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
Though students who have dining plans will have to pay for Sacred Grounds food and drink from their own pockets, undergraduates who don’t have dining plans have had $60 loaded onto their student cards that they can use either at Sacred Grounds or at the Mabee Dining Center, said Chris Heck, director of dining services for Newman.
Next to the coffee shop is the center itself, which takes up space that until 2020 was occupied by Newman’s book store. It now is home to all the services that fall under the umbrella of the Student Success Center, including career coaching, internship support and international student assistance.
The center, which is filled with study areas with charging stations and comfortable furnishings, also is where students can get tutoring.
PHOTO: Courtesy Photo, Newman University
