These workers make their way back to the ground after installing the Greek letters at the new home of Sigma Phi Epsilon
MONMOUTH, ILLINOIS (August 11, 2026) — Over the past year, a new Monmouth College facility hasn't risen from the ground, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been a busy year in terms of physical upgrades.
More than a dozen projects, which touch several areas of campus life, have been completed or are almost finished.
"Upgrading our campus facilities enrich the student experience by providing welcoming spaces that encourage community engagement, foster living and learning environments, and create meaningful connections," said Dean of Students Karen Ogorzalek.
"These enhancements reflect our ongoing commitment to support student success."
Two new things did rise from the ground — an outdoor basketball court in the western quad and a new digital video sign on the south side of campus. The sign, which was installed just south of the Center for Science and Business, has plenty of eyes on it due to its Broadway location, and plenty of eyes will also be focused on a pair of new video scoreboards — one at April Zorn Memorial Stadium (home to Fighting Scots football and track), and the other in Glennie Gymnasium (where Monmouth plays home basketball and volleyball contests).
Another Scots sport — softball — received an upgrade prior to last spring's season, as the field was redone and new irrigation was installed. That was one of the targeted projects of the college's annual Scots Day of Giving in 2025. Two others that year were the outdoor basketball court and a series of upgrades to the A/V capabilities in Dahl Chapel and Auditorium.
"The chapel's refresh represents a comprehensive modernization of its audio, video, and control systems, delivering enhanced sound quality, expanded video capabilities, improved accessibility, and a fully-networked A/V environment to support campus events, performances, and ceremonies," said LeVon McAllister, Monmouth's chief information officer, of work that was completed this summer.
Rebecca Quick ('21) (left) and art professor Janis Wunderlich spent part of their summer installing a new plaid mural on the north wall of the Stockdale Center
Across the street from Dahl Chapel, two structures on the south side of Broadway will have a new feel and serve a new purpose, as the men of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Zeta Beta Tau will have new fraternity houses, one in the 800 block (SigEp) and one in the 900 block (ZBT). In both cases, scores of alumni came forward to offer financial support for the six-figure renovations.
"The new fraternity houses represent a wonderful example of repurposing existing properties in a way that strengthens our campus while being responsible stewards of college resources," said Holly Tharp, Monmouth's vice president of finance and business.
"We are incredibly grateful to the alumni and friends whose generosity helped make these projects possible. Most importantly, we're excited for the members of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Zeta Beta Tau to have dedicated spaces they can call their own, fostering brotherhood, leadership and a deeper connection to the Monmouth experience."
The SigEp house will be formally dedicated October 9 as part of Homecoming festivities at the college. It is the westernmost of a new "Greek row" at the college, that also includes, moving east, houses for Alpha Xi Delta, Zeta Beta Tau, and Kappa Kappa Gamma.
There's typically a chill in the air by the time the annual Homecoming weekend is held, and "a chill in the air" is also the main objective of a key facility improvement — a new 500-ton Helical Rotary Chiller.
Centrally located in the college's former science center, Haldeman-Thiessen, the chiller provides air conditioning to roughly half of the facilities on campus.
In the new science center, a space for one of Monmouth's newest majors — nursing — is in development, and use of the Nursing Clinical Lab and Teaching Classroom will ramp up in the months to come as the nursing students move farther along in the program, which is made possible through a partnership with OSF HealthCare.
A digital flag looms large over the south end of April Zorn Memorial Stadium, one of two new videoboards that was installed this summer. The other is in Glennie Gymnasium
Some of the smaller projects that were completed while students have been away for the summer include new carpeting in Bowers Hall and a new air handler in Pattee Hall. Quinby House, home to Monmouth President Patricia Draves, also received a facelift with some new paint and exterior repairs. New paint was also applied to the north-facing outer wall of the Stockdale Center — Monmouth's student center — as part of a gift from the Class of 2022. Art professor Janis Wunderlich and one of her former students, Rebecca Quick ('21), did the honors on the attractive mural.
Finally, amidst all the improvements, the college actually lost a structure — the fraternity complex on the northwest corner of campus. The complex held special memories for a few generations of Monmouth students, but it had exceeded its expected life span by several years. Its demolition will open room for green space for the time being and potential room for campus growth in the long term.
