SC State completing 1st phase of remodeled Queens Village student apartment complex

The project will help ease the university’s housing crunch. Other campus building projects also are progressing.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – South Carolina State University is nearing completion of three remodeled buildings in the Queens Village student apartment complex.

“Reopening Queens Village is just the first of many developments underway at SC State to allow us to house more students and keep up with the university’s phenomenal enrollment growth,” SC State President Alexander Conyers said. “Interest in the excellence SC State has to offer is at an all-time high, so we must respond to the demand with additional housing.”

The upgrades include new roofs, utility infrastructure and interior finishes.

Each remodeled unit has four two-bedroom suites – eight students per unit --increasing SC State’s housing capacity by 24 beds. Students assigned to reside in the complex have been provided temporary accommodations until the units open.

Along with the Queens Village project, SC State has two other projects in development to create additional housing on campus.

• A new 500-bed residence hall. SC State has received preliminary approval to construct a 500-bed residential complex on campus. The project will be financed through the federal HBCU Capital Financing Program, which provides low-cost capital to finance improvements to the infrastructure of the nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). According to Ken Davis, associate vice president for facilities management, SC State has received phase I approval from the state Joint Bond Review Committee (JBRC) and theState Fiscal Accountability Authority (SFAA). Administrators will be interviewing for professional design services the last week of January and the first week of February. The new residence hall tentatively is slated for construction adjacent to Mitchell Hall. The administration hopes to open the facility in 2026.
• Truth Hall renovation. Funded by the State of South Carolina, the $15 million renovation of Sojourner Truth Hall is scheduled to begin in May. SC State opted to keep the 14-story building’s lower floors open for the Spring 2025 Semester to retain much-needed bed space rather than begin the renovation this month. The project includes a fire suppression system, which will allow the university to reopen upper floors for much-needed student residential space. The university is pre-qualifying general contractors for the bid process this month. Administrators expect Truth to be finished in time to house students for the Spring 2026 Semester. 

More capital projects at SC State

The residential projects represent just a few of the major capital projects funded by the state and federal governments underway or in development on and off campus – representing an investment in SC State of more than $200 million.

“We continue to appreciate the incredible support we have received from the South Carolina General Assembly for the necessary upgrades to our campus in recent years,” Conyers said. “To say this is a transformational period in SC State history is an understatement. Our students deserve the same level of amenities they see at other institutions, and our lawmakers have made great strides in bringing that vision to reality.”

Davis noted that SC State’s new construction manager, Randy Pickering, will come on board this month to help keep watch over the dozens of major and small-scope construction projects happening on the campus.

Academic and student services building projects

• Student Center renovation. The demolition phase of the $4.2 million renovation of the Kirkland W. Green Student Center is complete, and construction crews have been installing new roofing and utility infrastructure. The state-funded project includes upgrades to lighting, HVAC, windows, doors, life safety, and all finishes, as well as a new facade on the plaza side of the center. The administration expects to open the remodeled center in August of this year.
• Student Center expansion. In a separate project that will follow the renovation, the state has allotted SC State an additional $20 million for a 40,000-square-foot upgrade to the Student Center, giving the university 62,000 square feet of modern space for student life activities and a new cafeteria. The expansion is in the predesign phase with Coast Architects. Thompson Turner Construction is the contract manager at risk (CM-R) contractor for the project.

• 

  New 94,000-square-foot academic building. The state-funded project is in the design phase with Evoke Studios, an architectural firm that also designed the SC State Engineering and Computer Science Complex. The project will soon be submitted to JBRC for phase II approval. The project’s CM-R is Harper General Contractors. SC State officially broke ground on the $54.7 million project in April. The state-funded project is in the design phase with Evoke Studios, an architectural firm that also designed the SC State Engineering and Computer Science Complex. The project will soon be submitted to JBRC for phase II approval. The project’s CM-R is Harper General Contractors. SC State officially broke ground on the $54.7 million project in April. The facility will replace the outmoded Turner Hall complex. Fencing has been erected around a portion of the site for the demolition of two existing buildings. The facility will replace the outmoded Turner Hall complex.
• New university library. In 2024, the state awarded SC State $30.3 million for a new library. The administration expects phase 1 approval this month, allowing the university to advertise for architectural services. The tentative location for the new library is the former site of Manning and Bradham Halls adjacent to Leroy Davis Hall. The new building will replace the Miller F. Whittaker Library.
• New health and wellness center. This project will provide SC State students with a facility dedicated to physical fitness and wellness activities, Both student-athletes and the general student body will benefit. The 45,000-square-foot project will be financed through the federal HBCU Capital Financing Program. SC State has received phase I approval from the JBRC and theSFAA. Administrators will be interviewing for professional design services the last week of January and the first week of February. The tentative location is adjacent to Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.
• James E. Clyburn Transportation Center. About $13 million in federal funding, along with a $2.6 million match from the state, is available to build out the James E. Clyburn Archives and Research Center on the Russell Street side of campus. SC State is working with the federal government and Perkins & Will architecture firm to finish the design phase. Administrators hope to complete that design early this year and advertise for construction this summer.
   

Recently completed projects

Several smaller upgrades have been completed on the main campus. They include:

• Laboratory renovations in Hodge Hall.
• Replacement of the Leroy Davis Hall chiller.
• Fixing up Moss Hall Annex for a telehealth center.
• Expansion of the cover at the Student Center Plaza Pavilion.
   

Public Service & Agriculture Division projects

SC State’s Public Service & Agriculture Division (PSA) also has several projects in development off the main campus. They include:

• The $5 million Midlands Agriculture Research & Education Center at the PSA Research & Demonstration Farm in Olar, South Carolina. In the design phase, the building will be home to the new Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Agriculture.
• Regional Research & Extension Centers. The SC State 1890 Research & Extension Centers in Cayce and Rock Hill are in various stages of renovation. The upgrade to the center in Florence has been completed.
• Camp Harry E. Daniels. SC State PSA’s historic Camp Daniels is in the second phase of its redevelopment as an immersive nature center for youth and adult learners. SC State is completing roads, trails and infrastructure necessary to support nine new buildings planned for the camp. These will include visitor cabins to complement the 260-acre camp’s 150,00 square-foot leadership center and on-site pond for aquatic activities. MOA Architecture is designing the facilities.