This fall semester, students were welcomed back to the Hill with a new home for student success, academic excellence, and innovation: The Learning Commons @ Hoover Library. The renovations to the library began at the end of the fall 2024 semester with the goal of creating a one-stop shop for all student support needs.

“This innovative hub brings traditional library services together with IT, Student Success and Support, the Writing Center, STEM Center, and Student Accessibility and Support Services in a centralized location,” says Christine Moran, associate vice president of student success. “The convergence of these services provides a thriving ecosystem, streamlining support mechanisms for students, providing a holistic and convenient approach to fostering academic and personal growth, and ultimately equipping students for success.”

These upgraded facilities not only enhance the current student experience but also provide a tangible and compelling representation of the quality of a McDaniel education to prospective students and families who will carry the college’s reputation for academic excellence and innovation into the future.

“The Learning Commons @ Hoover Library represents McDaniel’s commitment to integrated student support and academic excellence,” says Provost Flavius Lilly. “By uniting our key resources and services in one space, we create a collaborative environment that enhances learning and empowers every student to succeed.”

The $3.6 million renovation was supported by donors including current McDaniel trustees Charles A. Boehlke Jr. ’78; Marjorie Rankin Kimble M.Ed. ’86 and Jeffrey Kimble M.Ed. ’84; Millard Mazer ’83; and Robert Pick ’92, P’25; along with James Francis ’84 and the late Jean Andrews Richards ’45 and Donald Richards.

Fostering further collaboration among academic support services, the Writing Center has a new home in the Learning Commons @ Hoover Library, with a modernized facility in a central location.

Iris Levandoski ’27 is the only dual tutor who works in both the STEM Center and the Writing Center, so her unique perspective on the opportunities provided by both services has her eager for the integration this academic year.

“The McDaniel Plan is designed to combine subjects like math, writing, science, philosophy, and even food studies to give students unique perspectives to the world,” Levandoski says. “I was trained as a Writing Center tutor first, and at surface level, it seems really odd to have a Computer Science major for a writing tutor. But I need writing just as much as I need math to be successful.”

With the new Learning Commons @ Hoover Library, Levandoski says, “I am thrilled to have the ability to physically combine the two worlds of critical thinking into one space. Switching from quantitative thinking to qualitative thinking will be as simple as switching to a different tab in my browser.”

Student Accessibility and Support Services (SASS) has long been housed in Merritt Hall, but with approximately 30% of McDaniel undergraduate students utilizing SASS accommodations, the office has outgrown its physical space. SASS works collaboratively with students, faculty, and staff to advance students’ independence, self-advocacy, and full academic potential while enhancing educational outcomes and promoting the recognition of students’ capabilities.

“As the director of SASS since 2014, and a member of the staff since 2011, I’ve witnessed firsthand how our students become self-advocates, scholars, and young professionals, with lasting memories of their home on the Hill,” says Melanie Conley ’91, M.S. ’06, director of SASS.

Now, students registered with SASS will have easier access to other support services like the Writing Center, STEM Center, librarians, IT, student success coaches, and academic deans, all of whom are frequent collaborators with SASS staff.

Iris Levandoski ’27, who is a tutor in both the Writing Center and the STEM Center, is eager for this collaboration to improve thanks to a shared physical space. “Last year, the SASS office and the centers began working together to offer tutoring tailored to students with additional learning needs. While students in the SASS program were able to benefit from the new resource, there were still times when communicating objectives, ideas, or progress via email made reaching a common goal a little difficult,” she says. “Having SASS just across the rotunda will allow for students to receive even better academic support because our location will no longer feel like a barrier to success.” 

The new SASS computer lab and testing center in the Learning Commons is fully equipped with brand-new computers, private testing pods, and more accessible seating spaces with noise reduction, privacy features, and security for testing integrity.

“We’ve found that the environment makes all the difference in students’ willingness to access their support services,” Conley says. “With an accessible, appealing, and friendly environment, SASS aims to make students of all abilities feel comfortable and welcome.”