UWA breaks ground on $23M renovation of Student Union Building

The University of West Alabama broke ground Monday on a $23.4 million expansion and renovation of its Student Union Building that is designed to amplify student life through new dining, recreation, wellness and gathering spaces.

The new SUB, as students affectionately call it, will modernize the original student union building in Livingston built in 1973 with additions that will make it a total of 54,000 square feet over two floors with a gym and pool complex, additional meeting space and an elevated food court. 

UWA President Todd Fritch said after a ceremony Monday that construction started in October and it is expected to be completed by fall 2027.

“This major expansion and renovation of our Student Union Building is a project that will reshape the student experience for generations to come,” Fritch said. “Students are our purpose. They are why we do what we do.”

To compete with large, modern student centers at universities across the country that often serve as a recruitment tool, UWA's upgraded facility will feature a 3,800-square-foot food court and coffee bar featuring Starbucks that will relocate from the library to the SUB. Fritch said vendors like Subway and Burgers + Fries that are currently scattered across the campus will move into the student union so they’re all in one location. 

It will have a Barnes & Noble bookstore and campus mail services, student lounges, meeting rooms and organization spaces. There will be upgraded fitness and recreation areas, including a new weight room and courts for basketball, volleyball and pickleball. There will also be a suspended indoor walking track and locker rooms and shower facilities.

A new outdoor pool complex is also being built with a 3,500-square-foot pool and entertainment deck capable of hosting up to 300 people.

Construction manager Zach Taylor of Hall-Taylor Construction said the project will be completed in three phases, combining renovation with new athletic and wellness amenities intended to serve students’ academic, social and physical needs in one central location.

University officials said the development was made possible in part by an $11.75 million supplemental appropriation from the Alabama Legislature, secured with support from the local legislative delegation.

State Sen. Bobby Singleton, speaking at the ceremony, called UWA a “diamond in the rough” and added the project will have a long-term impact.

“This is going to be student-centered, and students are going to love it,” Singleton said. “It takes leadership to make sure projects like this move from an idea to reality.”

University leaders said the new SUB’s plans were developed with student feedback. Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Byron Thetford said surveys conducted with the Student Government Association showed high demand for a central campus space where students could study, gather and access services.

“This student union building is going to be the biggest project to impact our entire student body in probably 20-plus years,” Thetford said.

Student Government Association President Phillip Martin said students ask him all the time when the SUB will be completed, adding the groundbreaking is a milestone for campus life.

“A student union is more than brick, glass and steel,” Martin said. “It’s a place where students connect, where campus life happens, and where the spirit of UWA comes alive every single day.”

Fritch said the building is intended to serve as a “crossroads of daily life” where students form friendships, collaborate and recharge between classes in a space designed for students.

“When this project is complete, the Student Union will be a vibrant hub that meets the needs of today’s students and those for years to come,” he said.