GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Colorado Mesa University is investing more than $177 million in campus construction projects as it works to accommodate rising student enrollment and modernize facilities.
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The university spent $117.96 million during the 2025-2026 academic year on a wide range of projects and has committed an additional $59.5 million for upcoming work, bringing the two-year total to $177.5 million.
University President John Marshall said the current level of construction activity is among the most significant since the late 2000s.
“In any given moment, we’re trying to look across the board at what the needs are of today and down the road. Obviously, the most emergent stuff is housing and dining, just because it’s a threshold question. If we don’t have a bed and a way to feed students, we can’t get them here,” Marshall said.
Key projects underway include the Centennial Apartments, Ember Eatery dining hall, a welding lab, parking facilities and upgrades to performing arts spaces. Together, these developments aim to support both academic programs and student life.
The Centennial Apartments will house 310 students, increasing total on-campus capacity to 3,310. Meanwhile, Ember Eatery is designed to expand dining options for a growing campus population.
“For a long time, we’ve tried to protect the lone campus dining location because the Caf (in the University Center) is a great resource, but the reality is we’ve just outgrown it. You just can’t serve a campus of our size with one,” Marshall said.
“What are the things that this community doesn’t have that might service students, might service the campus community, might service Grand Junction High School, might service local business needs? Things like a Panera Bread that will be in there that this community hasn’t had before.”
Parking infrastructure is also a major focus as more students commute.
“Three-quarters of our students are living around town. That means we have to have a place for them to get in and out of campus,” Marshall said.
A significant portion of the investment includes expanding the campus geothermal exchange system, which provides heating and cooling through a closed-loop network. The project received a $400,000 grant from the Colorado Energy Office.
Marshall emphasized the long-term value of the system despite short-term disruptions.
“It’s kind of disruptive when you drill it, but once it’s done, it’s done forever,” he said. “It saves us money, it helps us keep our buildings cool, so it’s worth the disruption.”
University leaders say the construction strategy reflects careful financial planning.
“We’ve tried to be very conservative, make sure we’re not eating our seed corn, trying to make sure that our balance sheet is strong enough,” Marshall said.
He acknowledged that ongoing construction can be inconvenient but said it also signals progress.
“You want to create enough activity and a great campus experience, and nobody’s having a great campus experience if everything’s torn up all the time. The flip side of that is that a little bit of construction does create a sense of momentum, a sense of excitement, a sense of the future.”
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Looking ahead, CMU plans additional projects, including a parking structure, expanded student housing and a new athletic complex at Stocker Stadium. The football facility, expected to open in 2027, will include training spaces, locker rooms and fan amenities.
“As we continue to grow, athletics is an important part of who we are,” Marshall said. “It requires us to keep pace.”
University officials say continued investment is critical to meeting future demand and maintaining competitiveness in higher education.
“Our hope is, as we’re able to bring that project forward, it’s not dissimilar to the Diamond at Hamilton Ballpark,” Marshall said. “It took some pre-planning and it took some investment.”
Originally reported by Nathan Deal in The Daily Sentinel.
