St. Joseph’s College Breaks Ground On $17 Million Student Center

PATCHOGUE, NY — St. Joseph’s College officials donned their hard hats and helped break ground on a $17 million Student Center in Patchogue where construction crews will soon get to work on a schedule with plans to complete the project by Spring 2023.

The Student Center, to be financed by a bond issue, is being constructed to address an increase in the student population and is the first new building to be constructed on the campus in 18 years. Its construction is tied to a major sewer project that is currently underway with the Town of Brookhaven and the Village of Patchogue.

The two-story 32,000 square-foot Student Center will feature indoor and outdoor spaces, including a dining area, art gallery, and a chapel and office for the campus ministry team. There will be a veterans lounge, spirit gift shop, an E-sports unit, and computer and lounge spaces. The center will also feature conference and meeting rooms, offices for faculty, as well as staff and student clubs.

Dr. Donald R. Boomgaarden, president of St. Joseph’s College, described the project "as something that unites us.”

“This building is a door through which we can walk into new relationships with our neighbors and with each other,” he said. “This building will not just contain classrooms, but it will contain spaces and technology that will serve to connect our students to each other and to the outside world.”

The event was attended by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri, State assemblymen Doug Smith and Jarret Gandolfo, as well as County Legislator Rob Calarco, and members of the SJC Board of Trustees.

A virtual tour featuring what the new student center will look like once constructed can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JStocNXgPhQ