A previous version of this article misstated the square footage of the Student Union and Student Success Center, misstated the guidelines regarding square footage per student and incorrectly referred to Bob Dubey as the current mayor. The Student Union will be 230,000 square feet, and the Student Success Center will be 135,000 square feet. The Association of College Unions International recommends that universities provide at least 10 square feet per student, but does not require it.
Since 2013, the University of Texas at Dallas’ total student population has increased by more than 10,000 students, rising from just over 21,000 students to more than 31,000 today, a jump of over 55%. To meet the needs of the rapidly expanding student body, the university has made numerous additions, including the Sciences Building, the Engineering and Computer Science West Building, the Comets LANDing gaming and Esports Center and Canyon Creek Heights. About 70% of the campus has been renovated in the past 14 years since its inception.
New construction projects are launched to better accommodate the growing needs of the campus. Recent additions include the new phase of Naveen Jindal School of Management, the new Student Union and Student Success Center, focusing on fostering student connection and engagement.
“Staff will identify a need, and then we will determine how that need is best met; whether we move forward with renovating an existing space, or design a new building,” Vice President of Student Affairs Gene Fitch said.
The construction of the new JSOM III building is a response to the increasing number of student enrollments in the Naveen Jindal School of Management. The existing space for the business students began to feel overcrowded and seeing an opportunity to serve the students, JSOM Dean Hasan Pirkul collaborated with Vice President of Facilities and Development Calvin Jameson to have the new building constructed.
“I want to grow the school, I want to have more students, and I want to keep giving them a high-quality education. But our students just don’t have enough space,” said Pirkul.
The $98 million, three-story, 125,000-square-foot building is on track for completion in May 2026. It will feature an entire wing dedicated to all JSOM undergraduates, expanded spaces for JSOM student organizations, multiple new offices, meeting spaces and a lounge.
As JSOM continues to grow, questions about UT Dallas’ identity as an engineering research school have grown with it. But according to Pirkul, both can coexist. “You can have both,” Pirkul said. “I’m an engineer in my undergrad and a business guy for grad school. Sometimes we act as engineers and other times as businessmen. So we [UT Dallas] can be both. We [JSOM] are the largest and highest-ranked school here.”
The focus on giving undergraduates a place to learn, collaborate and express themselves is the driving force behind the construction of the new building. “We don’t have enough space for everybody in JSOM, and the first to pay are the youngest ones. This is why this new building is a place for them to excel,” Pirkul said.
While a new JSOM wing is impressive, it doesn’t match the scale of the upcoming Student Union. The $290 million, four-story project will span 230,000 square feet and serve as a replacement to the current Student Union as the main student gathering area on campus.
Students can look forward to new restaurants, an outdoor amphitheater, additional game halls, a creativity lounge and a dedicated dance practice space, among other improvements.
“We know how important it is to have centers like this to enhance a feeling of community. Getting points of center creates a feeling of belonging and identity. They create support networks, foster collaboration towards shared goals, they encourage collaboration, they offer opportunities for personal growth and build resilience during the challenging times,” said former Richardson Mayor Bob Dubey during the groundbreaking ceremony.
The Student Union is no stranger to transformation. Originally, it was connected to a building called The Pub, which was demolished in 2024 to room for what is now the Gaming and Esports center. The Pub was once a space for students to meet up, eat, play games and unwind from the pressures of college life.
The Association of College Unions International recommends that schools provide 10 square feet of union space for each student enrolled at the university. The project not only brings UT Dallas up to code but also provides more room for collaboration and camaraderie.
“It’s that ‘see and be seen’ mentality. Students want to be where the action is, and our space is simply inadequate to provide that for them,” Fitch said.
Students in recent years have felt that they don’t have many places on campus to congregate. Many students expressed to Dr. Fitch that they wanted a new student union.
“Well, we had students who voted, I guess it was, three years ago, who voted to raise the fee to build this building. I mean, that’s going to be their legacy. You know, they were the ones that supported it, it’s because of those students three years ago that voted in order to get this building,” Fitch said.
Sharing the new building with the Student Union will be the Student Success Center, whose mission is to help students succeed academically during their tenure at UT Dallas. They provide services such as the Writing and Communication Lab.
“The Student Success Center started a couple of decades ago with the school’s quality enhancement plan,” said Provost Inga Musselman. “We really worked to develop new strategies for helping students be successful in math courses and in science courses. One of them was actually Peer Led Team Learning.”
Additional services in the 135,000-square-foot portion of the building will include an arena-style lecture hall, offices for student success programs, new international program offices and more. This new building will serve as a space for students seeking academic success both inside and outside the classroom.
Currently, the entire Student Success Center operates out of the bottom floor of the library, where it hosts tutoring sessions, advising meetings and other student support services. The new building will signify one of the university’s oldest initiatives finally receiving recognition for all it has provided for UT Dallas students over the years.
Musselman said that the university hopes to unite the Office of Undergraduate Education, the Hobson Wildenthal Honors College, the Office of Graduate Education and the Center for Teaching and Learning under one roof. These academic divisions are currently spread across multiple buildings, which can make access difficult.
The UT Dallas skyline may be changing, but the university’s mission of empowering its students remains the same. From the Naveen Jindal School of Management to the Student Union, every dollar spent, every staff effort, and every sleepless night from administration go into enhancing the quality of education while enriching the student experience at UT Dallas. Buildings like these serve as reminders of UT Dallas’ commitment to connecting its students.
Tara • Jan 28, 2026 at 8:23 am
You said, “The Association of College Unions International recommends that schools provide 10 square feet of union space for each student enrolled at the university.” Can you please provide the original source? Thanks!