Renovation dramatically changes the look of WSU’s Rhatigan Student Center

Wichita State University faculty and students dedicated the renovated Rhatigan Student Center on Monday, marking an end to the three-year, $32 million project.

The renovation was financed through student fees and private donations, said Wade Robinson, WSU’s vice president for Student Engagement. It added 60,000 square feet of space to the building, bringing the total to about 220,000 square feet, according to a WSU news release.

“Everything is done,” Robinson said. “… It looks great.”

Some of the more dramatic changes include the third-floor Shirley Beggs Ballroom with its outdoor balcony.

“From there, you can look all across the campus to the south and east,” Robinson said. “It rivals any banquet or ballroom facility in town.”

The basement bowling and recreation center is also a dramatic change to the center, he said.

“They moved walls and gutted it from end to end,” Robinson said. “The look is more open.”

And finally, there is the main-floor seating and lounge area that now has more than double the space and includes new furniture and artwork, Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs.

The renovation included new entrances on the west and north ends of the building and a new entrance plaza on the building’s east side.

This story was originally published September 15, 2014 at 8:59 PM with the headline "Renovation dramatically changes the look of WSU’s Rhatigan Student Center."