After nearly a decade of planning and two years of construction, McNeese will open the doors to the new student union Feb. 23 after an exclusive student open house Feb. 22.  

Students will be able to contact offices expected to move to the new student union, including the Student Government Association office, McNeese Dining, and the Office of Student Life, in the new facility starting Feb. 23.  

Interim President Kedrick Nicholas said construction is finished, and the university is currently working on landscaping, completing the sidewalks, and setting up furniture.  

The idea of a new student union has been under discussion since 2016, but construction did not start until the summer of 2024. Dr. Daryl Burckel, former president of McNeese, said plans for a new student union had been in the works since 2019 and originally involved only the demolition of the Memorial Gym to make space for the building.  

After Hurricanes Laura and Delta hit the campus in 2020, both the Memorial Gym and Farrar Hall were damaged and needed to be demolished, and plans were adjusted to put the new student union in their place.

The project is funded by a student-approved fee passed in 2020, which contributes to paying back a $12.84 million bond McNeese used to pay for construction.  

Nicholas said the bond represents approximately one-third of the cost of construction, with the remaining two-thirds coming from a no-interest loan from the McNeese Foundation and university reserve funding dedicated to the project, which includes a financial gift from a donor.  

Although the building was previously projected to be completed by Nov. 7 of 2025 with a January 2026 opening, the timeline was pushed back. Nicholas said this extension to weather occurrences which interrupted crew work patterns, inspection of the sewage and water system underneath the construction site, and additional inspection of the building.  

With the opening date now approaching, Stanley Alexander, the director of the new student union, is currently creating operational plans and hiring student staff needed to work in the facility. Additionally, staff from the offices set to occupy the new building are working on familiarizing themselves with the different functions and systems in the building.  

Nicholas said the parking lot next to the building is solely for visitors having special events inside the facility, not for students or faculty to use.  

Nicholas said wants students to be the first people to experience the building before it opens up to the general public the next day.  

“I think students are going to be appreciative that a project they have seen going on now for a couple of years has now come to fruition,” Nicholas said. “The building is there and everything that is going to provide to the campus experience and to student life over their lifetime as students and students beyond, that’s going to have everyone excited.”  

David Mbagwu, a junior computer science major, said he is looking forward to the new cafeteria. 

“It will be a new and different scenery, and I would like to see what it has in store for us,” Mbagwu said.  

Chinenye Josephat, a Senior and Nursing major, shared a similar idea regarding the move.  

“I am excited for the new cafeteria as well, and I hope it comes with more menu options,” Josephat said.