Christopher Dacanay BUSINESS-MINDED — Franciscan University of Steubenville students linger in the university’s new Christ the Teacher Academic Hall, on the first-floor business department wing.

STEUBENVILLE — When a population grows, spaces must adapt to fit the influx, granting much-needed breathing room.

That’s the scenario Franciscan University of Steubenville faced until recently, according to Christin Jungers, dean of the school of professional programs. To accommodate its booming student body, the university began constructing a new academic building — its first in more than 20 years.

Opened in August, the 110,797-square-foot Christ the Teacher Academic Hall took 515 workdays to complete and cost $59 million. It was financed through Franciscan’s 75-year anniversary Rebuild My Church capital campaign, which has raised more than $125 million since its 2021 launch, when the initial goal was $75 million.

From her administrative position, which she’s held for seven years, Jungers oversees multiple academic departments, including business and nursing — two of the three departments that now call Christ the Teacher home, along with the department of engineering and computing.

The new building has not only granted her departments more breathing room, Jungers said, but also helped students better connect with faculty members and one another, as well as bolstered their educational experience through dynamic amenities and a visual beauty.

Some of the largest programs at Franciscan, the nursing and business departments continue to expand in enrollment, Jungers said. That posed a challenge for the university prior to Christ the Teacher’s construction, as the departments outgrew their respective spaces.

Jungers said there was a “clear desire to provide students within those majors with an elevated learning environment,” one that would be built from the ground up to suit the departments’ unique needs.

Nursing occupied the Stafford Wing of Egan Hall for many years, Jungers said. The space served its purpose, but technological advancements in the field of nursing necessitated more room for specialized training equipment.

Now, nursing students benefit from Christ the Teacher’s four brand-new labs, furnished with nine simulation beds. Electronic mannequins representing men and women in various stages of life provide students with realistic care scenarios — including neonatal care and labor and delivery.

Junger said that, within its new spaces, Christ the Teacher permits multiple educational experiences to happen simultaneously, all while mentors watch from a detached control room. This allows monitoring and guidance to take place, without students feeling pressured by a nearby instructor.

“The spaces for (the students) have been designed, in part, to mimic a hospital environment,” Jungers said. “That way, the students have a chance to practice here on campus what they are expected to begin doing through their clinical education experiences, when they go into hospital settings in the local and regional areas.”

With about 500 undergraduate students, the business department ranks among Franciscan’s top academic programs. The department now enjoys educational spaces that are more capacious and impart a “professional ethos,” said Jungers, who’s also a 17-year faculty member in Franciscan’s clinical mental health counseling program.

“The space has a certain dignity to it. For me, as an educator and faculty member, I really value the space environment, and I think that, when we take time to design spaces that fit the pedagogy of the unique disciplines and the professions, it helps to elevate the educational experience for our students. … (The space) allows for a learning experience that is rich, that is more engaged and that can also be grounded the unique learning styles and approaches of the students in their majors and their disciplines.”

Classrooms are generally larger and are practically designed, with movable tables and chairs. Whereas many Franciscan classrooms utilize single desks with armchairs — which are geared toward lectures — Christ the Teacher’s desks allow professors and students to reorganize the layout of rooms, suiting different educational formats.

The building has drawn very positive feedback from professors.

“It’s allowing for some more innovative approaches, fresh approaches, creative approaches to educating our students and preparing them to be ethical professionals in the field they want to work in,” said Jungers, who has a doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision. “For the faculty, in particular, when you step into a space that is not just new but is fitting the needs that are there, there’s something very affirming about that and validating …”

Students from outside the three resident departments make use of Christ the Teacher’s facilities as well. The building has a café, large study rooms and concentrations of seating throughout.

Those public spaces allow for incidental encounters among fellow students, Jungers said, as well as between students and their faculty members. That leads to organic networking and mentorship — things that aren’t measured as direct learning outcomes but leave university graduates with a support system composed of their peers and educators.

To top it all off, Jungers said, the entire space is punctuated with aesthetic beauty, including prominent works of art and a centrally located chapel.

“The space looks beautiful, which really ties into … the Catholic perspective that values beauty. And that’s one of the things that our building offers to all of our students, is an encounter with beauty. … An encounter with beauty is an encounter with God, and we want that to be a part of their educational experience at Franciscan.”

As the departments continue settling into their new lodgings, they’ll persist in imparting the accredited education they always have, Jungers said, noting that the relatively new engineering department expects to achieve accreditation soon.

Conversations are constant regarding improvements to the business and nursing departments, whether they be large initiatives or natural outgrowth, Jungers said.

The big focus for business is redesigning its online master’s in business administration program. That initiative ties into the larger vision for the department of delivering leadership experience for all students, Jungers said.

Nursing, meanwhile, is considering changes to its master’s of science in nursing program, including its content — which is presented partly online and in person. Many of the concerns forte undergraduate programs were laid to rest by Christ the Teacher, Jungers said, so the focus now lies on the graduate program.

Jungers reflected on Christ the Teacher’s contribution for the Steubenville community at large. The building plays an important part in the “vibrancy of the community and helping Steubenville continue to attract people to the area.”

Part of what draws individuals to the area is the university’s mission and environment, Jungers said, so it’s good to have an aspect of campus that serves the local community and contributes to the life of Steubenville. Christ the Teacher’s Pope St. Paul VI Conference Center has been used for events by external entities, like the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.

“(People) won’t necessarily take a job here because you have a nice, new building,” Jungers said, “but it’s part of the whole package of the university, and it’s a way … to say we’re committed to the long-term life of this university, and here’s an example of our commitment — that we have, as a university community ,put forth the time and effort to raise money for something that we know is important for our students. And we wouldn’t do that if we didn’t care.”

“Our vision is for going as long as we possibly can,” she added. “We had the 75-year anniversary, and people are talking about the next 75 years. I would hope we continue to serve students and provide education for students from across the country and the globe for even longer than that.”

Where Franciscan will be in 75 years is impossible to project, but for now, its need for more latitude in academic spaces has been resolved. So, students can take a breath and rest easy.