With the approval of the Simpson College Board of Trustees, the $10 million Pfeiffer Dining Hall renovation project is planned to start in November and is expected to be completed by August 2026.
This project will upgrade the exterior and interior of Pfeiffer, as well as Great Hall. The idea behind the renovation is to boost recruitment and retention for current and future Simpson students.
Matt Hansen, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students, feels very strongly about this plan, as they have had it in mind for several years.
“We knew we had high school students who were coming in with cafeterias that looked a lot better than a college cafeteria,” Hansen said.
The dining hall will be closed for the entire spring semester, and food services from Pfeiffer will be moved to Kent Campus Center and join the other dining options on campus; SubConnection, Tyler’s Grille and Millie’s.
Once the renovation starts, the school will use Black Box Theater as extra seating to accommodate the number of students who will now be eating in Kent.
Sophomore Luke Beenblossom said he sees some potential issues with moving all food services to Kent.
“I think it will be a little crazy in Kent at times,” Beenblossom said. “The only problem I see occurring is the amount of time it may take people to eat lunch. It may make people late to class or other events.”
Though the changes coming to Pfeiffer and Great Hall are also sparking some excitement.
“(I’m) very excited, I think that is a huge stepping point for our campus,” Beenblossom said. “I know it’s a huge topic when it comes to us recruiting. As athletes, the dining hall is a big part of our nutrition and advertising that is great.”
Some upgrades for Pfeiffer will include new seating and counters, along with an updated kitchen area to accommodate more equipment space.
“What this project allows is not only to get some new equipment, but also to put things in a better order so that it makes more efficiency sense,” Hansen said.
Some other big changes include a new outdoor patio for Pfeiffer seating. Great Hall will also be transformed into a communal lounge space dubbed “the campus living room,” which will be available to everyone. This will include new lighting and added furniture.
“It’s been high on the list from student feedback from surveys for years that Pfeiffer and food and dining were areas of improvement, and so this is great,” Hansen said. “Good food in a tired location isn’t the same as good food in a really popping new place.”
