Students are seeing a whole new look when they enter the Office of Financial Aid this week. The office’s regular space in University Hall opened on the first day of school with an updated service counter and cubicles rather than walls. Behind the front space, there are additional renovations affecting both Financial Aid and Disabled Student Services.
“We’ve opened up the area, widened corridors and created shared conference and break room areas for the two student-service offices,” said Chris Brown, project manager overseeing the construction. “The new space creates a more welcoming and friendly workspace to serve the needs of the staff as they work for the benefit of CSUF students.”
Brown also is managing the construction work going on at the Student Health and Counseling Center.
“We’re improving the use of the space by combining the reception areas for both buildings,” Brown explained. “By doing so, we’re actually creating a bigger, more efficient, open and user-friendly lobby space.”
The elimination of one of the two lobbies allowed for an increase in office space in the counseling area and part of the project involved updating of restrooms in the facility. Externally, the construction is creating a central entrance between the two buildings with benches and a trellis, Brown said. “It improves the use of space and creates a welcoming entrance that creates a more unifying whole.”
Both construction projects were designed by The Steinberg Group with construction by Swinerton Builders. The Financial Aid Office project is complete; the Student Health and Counseling project completion is expected later in the semester.