North Hennepin Campus Center: Where Intention Meets Impact
The North Hennepin Campus Center is the cultural home of the campus. Centered around student engagement, the Campus Center is where students can study, access resources, and participate in campus activities, whether that’s through a club or organization, or through one of the many programs North Hennepin offers.
Spaces serve a purpose. During our visit in February, the purpose of the Campus Center as a community and cultural space was on display as students were milling about in the first-floor cafeteria, playing video games in the Game Room, and student senators were hard at work in their office.
“This space is designed to support students, not only through the educational benefits but through the programming,” Student Life Advisor Monte Stewart said. “We want to speak to the best practices to serve all of our student populations.”
The staff at North Hennepin know that having space that feels like it’s for you, gives you a sense of belonging, it helps you find your home in the college community, strengthens identity, and supports both recruitment and long-term student success.
A mixture of multipurpose and dedicated offices and spaces, the Campus Center embeds inclusion, comfort, and access into its design and programming, largely led by staff in the Student Life Office and students. The Campus Center is where you’ll find the Gerry Huerth Diversity & Equity Center, multicultural and community rooms, and a reflection room with prayer rugs. The Campus Center hosts events and programming like talking with Transfer Specialists, BINGO with LeadMN, or healing and goal-setting events.
“It really is the central hub for students,” Stewart said. “As we think about programming and supports, we’re also thinking about retention rates and our different student populations, because if you’re not retaining those students, you’re probably not doing a great job.”
Belonging is a visceral experience – you know it when you feel it. By offering places for relaxation or events like the Fireside Lounge, or a theater for student productions like the recent fashion show they hosted in their Blackbox Theater, students are able to find a space where their ideas, goals, and interests can flourish.
The Campus Center is that space where diverse student populations can find their community and feel supported by them through programs and services like the North Hennepin Food Cupboard, which serves both the campus and the community, receiving over 12,000 visitors this year, or their Veterans Resource Center, which provides veterans or military-connected students a place to relax, connect, and access resources, making NHCC one of the colleges that’s ‘Best for Vets.’
And they are always looking for ways to expand and reimagine what’s possible for students.
“We’ve been able to expand on overall support for student parents, which has just been more of a priority and initiative for us,” Stewart said.
Parenting students at North Hennepin are served by the new Parent Resource Center funded in part by a grant, which not only uplifts and provides for student parents, but their children. With a colorful play room with toys for children of all ages, a private place for diaper changing and studying, and a Parent Navigator, parenting students are able to have a space where they feel safe, supported, and cared for.
Campus and Student Centers are a critical aspect of campus life. And too often, students aren’t aware of all of the resources and opportunities available to them. Being a student is more than just going to class, it’s being a part of a community where you are encouraged to be courageous, cultivate connection, and feel woven into campus life and the campus experience.
So if you’re a student reading this, go check out your campus’s student center if you haven’t, explore the spaces available to you, talk with other students and faculty, and maybe you can find a space on your campus that feels a little more like home.