May 21, 2019

Contractor for New Entrepreneurship Living-Learning Community Named

I am pleased to announce that the university has engaged Balfour Beatty Construction to lead the development of a new $42 million entrepreneurship living-learning community to meet the growing demand for on-campus student housing and to help spur the expansion of entrepreneurship education throughout the curriculum. The facility will provide a new home for the university’s Entrepreneurship Academy and the Bowie Business Innovation Center.

Balfour Beatty is an industry leader in creating unique housing experiences for campuses across the country.  The new residence hall, featuring double rooms and suites, will include a student makerspace, two technology-infused classrooms, conference space and space to house student businesses. A fitness room, flexible meeting/academic spaces and small group recreation spaces are other amenities planned for our students. Retail space will be open to the public to enjoy.

Construction is slated to begin in February 2020 and be completed by July 2021. The project will be substantially funded with tax-exempt bonds through the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO). Vice President Tony Savia and his team in Administration and Finance are to be commended for their tremendous efforts to bring this project to fruition.

This new living-learning facility will be a major step toward achieving our vision of creating an entrepreneurial environment at Bowie State where students from all disciplines can develop a mindset for innovative thinking and problem solving. Just as important, we can also look forward to keeping more of our students in university housing where they can take full advantage of the BSU campus experience.