When LMU reopens for the fall 2021 semester, students, faculty and staff will discover several physical additions that will dramatically improve the learning environment and the quality of life for the campus community. Two residence complexes and new additions to the LMU School of Film and Television will have an immediate impact on life on the bluff.
Palm South, with a 300-bed capacity, provides an apartment-style environment for continuing students, with double and single rooms in five-person apartments. Palm South also includes “pods” — large apartments designed for 18–20 residents in double and single rooms, with a kitchen, common area and multiple bathrooms. The complex includes air conditioning, meeting spaces, a laundry and outdoor seating. An online tour of Palm South can be viewed at the LMU Student Housing YouTube channel.
Palm North is a traditional residence hall with 330 beds for first-year students, with double and single rooms and a central bathroom on each of four floors. The building features study rooms on each floor, a common kitchen, controlled air conditioning and a courtyard with hammocks.
The new residences were designed to support the student learning environment and community-building, says Rich Rocheleau, associate vice president for Student Life. “Apartments and offices specifically designed for faculty will be included in these facilities to increase student/faculty engagement outside of the classroom. Multipurpose space is being included for hosting a variety of academic and co-curricular activities and events in each facility.”
The student learning resources of SFTV, which was ranked seventh among U.S. film schools in 2020 by The Hollywood Reporter, have expanded with the completion of the Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavilion. Facing Alumni Mall, the Fitzpatrick Pavilion, which will stand as an expansion of the Communication Arts building, features two screening rooms, an immersive media lab, a post-production studio, a camera-directing stage, a flexible motion-capture area and a state-of-the-art, 86-seat theater with high-definition 4k projection capabilities, and flexible classroom spaces. To see a digital tour of the building, go to sftv.lmu.edu.
“The Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavilion is an outstanding addition to SFTV’s industry-leading facilities,” says Bryant Keith Alexander, interim SFTV dean and dean of the LMU College of Communication and Fine Arts. “With the addition of the Pavilion, we deepen our ability to nurture students’ digital learning experiences and will continue to enthusiastically pursue resources that support those endeavors.”
“The Howard B. Fitzpatrick Pavilion will be a space for SFTV students to explore new and emerging media as never before, a critical expansion at a time when entertainment mediums are becoming more diversified,” says Alexander.