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Here’s a look at new buildings and programs coming to Philly-area colleges this school year

Moore College of Art & Design's new residence hall will increase the school's housing capacity by 33% and allow Moore to guarantee housing for students all four years, the president said.

Moore College of Art & Design President Cathy Young (right) talks with Board of Trustees chair Frances R. Graham (left) and chair emerita and trustees member Cissie Levy at the opening ceremony of Rittenhouse Hall, a new residence hall for Moore students at 1831 Chestnut Street in Center City.
Moore College of Art & Design President Cathy Young (right) talks with Board of Trustees chair Frances R. Graham (left) and chair emerita and trustees member Cissie Levy at the opening ceremony of Rittenhouse Hall, a new residence hall for Moore students at 1831 Chestnut Street in Center City.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

Moore College of Art & Design just opened a new residence hall in Rittenhouse Square, just a seven-minute walk from campus, which will allow the school to guarantee students housing all four years.

It will increase the 501-student college’s housing capacity by 33%.

“All the higher ed data ... tells us that when students are able to live in residence on campus, they retain at higher rates, graduate at higher rates, and they have a stronger sense of engagement and belonging,” said Cathy Young, president of Moore, located at Logan Circle on Race Street. “It really gives our students the chance to live in one of the most vibrant wonderful parts of Philly and just immerse themselves in the city.”

It’s especially important for arts students who may want to work in design studios or other arts spaces on campus late into the evening, she said.

» READ MORE: How the UArts closure transformed Moore College of Art & Design, the last art-centered college in Philly

Moore, which received a large influx of students from the shuttered University of the Arts last fall, purchased the 93-bed building at 1831 Chestnut St. last spring for $11.5 million. It previously served as short-stay, high-end housing for executives, Young said, and will be priced like the college’s other residence halls, which have 275 beds. The school will offer housing grants to eligible students.

Moore isn’t the only area college to unveil a new or remodeled building on campus this year. Here’s a sample of others.

  1. Temple University opened its remodeled Paley Hall, which will for the first time house all academic departments within the College of Public Health in one location. The college’s departments had been spread across 10 buildings on the main campus and the health sciences campus. Formerly the library, Paley has been under construction for 2½ years.

  2. St. Joseph’s University opened its new Sister Thea Bowman Residence Hall, housing more than 500 first-year students. The building, the school said, uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling, one of the largest buildings in the city with such a system.

  3. Eastern University unveiled its remodeled Templeton Hall, which will serve as a hub for students in its honors college. It includes recital and performance spaces and a gallery.

  4. Chestnut Hill College opened its Nursing Clinical Arts Center on its SugarLoaf campus location. Formerly a conference center, the facility now has a new basic skills lab, teaching and office spaces, and a health assessment lab.

  5. Gwynedd Mercy University is opening its Frances M. Maguire ’55 Healthcare Innovation Center, which will include technology and spaces that look like hospitals, physician offices, and residential living settings.

And that’s not all. Campuses also have new programs and new leaders. Here’s a sample:

  1. Haverford College’s Michael B. Kim Institute for Ethical Inquiry and Leadership will spend the year on a project called HEAT, which will explore the pressing issue of rising temperatures and extreme heat and the need to address it.

  2. Swarthmore College students are working with fifth and sixth graders from Hope Partnership Middle School in Philadelphia on a service project to raise awareness about homelessness, the importance of firefighters as first responders, and health and wellness.

  3. Thomas Jefferson University is launching the Thackrah Capital Markets Research Lab with 12 Bloomberg terminals to help students learn about best investment practices.

  4. Neumann University is offering its first classes in its new online doctor of nursing practice degree, while Delaware Valley University launched a new master of public health degree.

  5. Moore College started an entertainment design major in partnership with the neighboring Franklin Institute. Students will learn how to create “immersive experiences through interactive design” for museum exhibitions, theme parks, cruise ships, concert venues, and more.

  6. The University of Delaware is under the leadership of Laura Carlson, interim president, and Bill Farquhar, interim provost who took over July 1. At Chestnut Hill College, Brian McCloskey was appointed the eighth president in August; he had stepped in to take over leadership responsibilities in May 2024 and was serving as interim president.