American International College Breaks Ground for New Dining Commons
SPRINGFIELD, MA (PRWEB) May 08, 2015 -- After a winter for the record books, American International College (AIC) celebrated spring and the future of dining in style with a groundbreaking ceremony last week in anticipation of the College’s $8 million renovation to its dining commons. The new, state-of-the-art facility will expand upon the existing dining commons space and include a wider variety of seating along with a more abundant variety of food options and services including customized food preparation, an open concept kitchen complete with a Mongolian grill, a wood-fired pizza oven and more…all presented in a contemporary, dynamic, new, and open setting.
Esteemed guests and speakers at the event included United States Congressman and AIC graduate Richard E. Neal, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno who also attended AIC, College Board of Trustee members, and AIC President Vincent Maniaci who said, "The dining commons is the heart of social interaction between and among students, faculty and staff. This new dining commons will greatly benefit our current students by providing a spectacular dining experience and meeting center for social engagement.”
Compass Foodservice CEO Steve Sweeney donated $1,500 to the local food pantry on behalf of its subsidiary,Chartwells, the leading higher education foodservice company in the world and provider for AIC.
Speaking on behalf of the 1,700 undergraduate students at AIC, Student Government Association representative and sophomore Rebecca Gray shared, "It's long overdue and we're very much ready for the new programming space and the new dining facilities, and it's going to a lot more modern and a lot more comfortable. I am so excited. Being only in my second year, it is really nice to see the school making so much change.”
While there was a cosmetic remodel of the dining room in 2007, the last complete renovation of the College’s dining commons was in 1966, nearly 50 years ago. The new facility will be a place for students to come together in a much more comfortable and modern setting, designed to serve the needs and expectations of today’s college students.
Construction of AIC’s new dining commons currently has seven local Massachusetts companies working on the project. Construction is expected to be completed in time for the beginning of the fall semester.
Candy Lash, American international College, +1 413-205-3231, [email protected]
Share this article