Student Success District, University of Arizona

Project highlights: Student Success District, University of Arizona 

• Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP
• Owner: University of Arizona
• Location: Tuscon, Arizona

This project, on University of Arizona’s Tucson campus, unites the school’s essential yet previously siloed student support services. While comprehensive in nature, involving campus planning, exterior site improvements, and architectural interventions, the project is rooted in transformation and the connection of interior spaces that offer elevated experiences aimed at nurturing tomorrow’s leaders.

The university’s research has shown that those who participate in student support services have much higher retention and graduation rates compared to students who do not. Many of the university’s programs were quite successful, with 9,500 advising appointments, 2.3 million library visits, and 20,000 counseling and psychological services appointments in 2019 alone. Unfortunately, the majority of these services were situated in unwelcoming and far-flung spaces on campus, rendering them invisible to many students.

The project hinged on revitalizing three existing buildings and constructing one anew to centralize all services along the campus’ main mall. Constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, the university’s two libraries suffered from pancake floor plans and little to no access to daylight. Between them sits Bear Down Gymnasium, a landmark structure that was once the campus fitness hub but had been relegated to a cubicle farm supporting various student service programs. All three buildings were disconnected and hamstrung by band-aid solutions that shaped interior experiences that were isolated at best and inhumane at worst.

In renovating the existing spaces and adding the new four-story LEED Gold-certified Bartlett Academic Success Center, the team shaped an interconnected nine-acre Student Success District that actively engages the university’s students. The renovated gym is the district’s heart, and the team carefully retained elements of its suspended mezzanine bleachers and gym floor. It remains on the National Register of Historic Places and was preserved according to the Secretary of the Interior’s guidelines.

In order to create a connective flow between the previously inward-looking buildings, the team cut new entries by inserting steel plate portals in the facades to form a new circulation language. Inside, circulation is supported through bold graphic signage and wayfinding that evokes a variety of desert landforms. In enhancing the entries and circulation, the team provided a clear path for students in search of support, eliminating the previously maze-like and illogical conditions.

The university welcomes an extremely diverse student body, including a significant number of students from traditionally underrepresented communities like the Navajo Nation. Many are first-generation university students from families and communities that are unable to offer the support typical students take for granted. The programs housed in this new and accessible district are crucial for preparing students for academic and post-graduation success.