Huntington University Enhances Campus with Facility Updates

LED wall, dining improvements highlight summer facility upgrades

Huntington University has completed five facility upgrade projects throughout the spring and summer, providing the campus with enhanced and refreshed spaces for the campus community ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year.

Spaces included in the upgrades are Forester Studios in the Merillat Centre for the Arts, Habecker Dining Commons and HUB Food Service, Baker Hall, the Baker Hall-Roush Hall lounge and the Department of Education in Loew-Brenn Hall.

Forester Studios in the Merillat Centre for the Arts

The Department of Digital Media Arts recently installed a LED video wall, called “The Volume at Forester Studios,” in the lower level of the Merillat Centre for the Arts.

The Volume at Forester Studios is a 20-by-12-foot curved and expandable LED wall that gives students access to the same kind of virtual production technology being used across today’s film, television, sports media, broadcast, marketing and content creation industries. The Volume at Forester Studios uses an extended reality software that uniquely positions The Volume at Forester Studios as the only of its kind in Northeast Indiana boasting its capabilities.

Funded through a regional development grant from the Northeast Indiana Strategic Development Commission, the project addresses three key strategies identified by the NEISDC: industry and higher education alignment; optimizing the alignment of educational/training program curricula with industry needs; and enhancing collaboration between industry and K-12 school systems. The technology will also strengthen Huntington University’s regional outreach through the SDC certificate grant training program. High school students from across Northeast Indiana will have opportunities to experience virtual production workshops, media training and hands-on demonstrations using The Volume at Forester Studios. Most recently, 62 campers had access to training on The Volume at Forester Studios in July in HU’s School of the Arts camp. These experiences are designed to expose students to emerging career pathways in film, television, media production, animation and digital content creation.

Students in film, television production, sports media, animation, digital media arts, marketing and other creative disciplines will be able to use the space as part of their coursework and project-based learning. The Volume at Forester Studios will support narrative filmmaking, commercial and promotional content, broadcast-style production, admissions and advancement media, athletic and sports media storytelling and other forms of digital content creation including background for live theatrical scenes.

Habecker Dining Commons and HUB Food Service

Habecker Dining Commons has been reimagined with a “One and All” concept, offering personalized menus and functional upgrades of new heat lamps, signage and server uniforms. The DC’s hours have also been expanded on the weekend to offer brunch from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and dinner from 5:00-6:30 p.m. Additionally, the DC will be receiving a smoker this month to provide smoked meats.

The HUB has also received updates to its Food Service offerings.

Forest Blend now serves Five Lakes Coffee products and offers expanded healthy snacks and meal-swipe options. New breakfast options include acai bowls and lunch options feature a variety of grab-and-go choices.

The upper HUB dining options offer more variety with weekly limited-time menu items at both the Grill and Wrapped. New menu offerings include chili cheese fries at the Grill and a meatball sub at Wrapped, available all day. Chicken tenders with fries or onion rings are available as a new late-night option. While these new offerings trend toward the comfort food category, the upper HUB’s “Mindful” offerings have also been expanded for additional healthy choices for students, providing a balanced mix of favorites.

Baker Hall and Baker Hall-Roush Hall Lounge

Baker Hall has received new flooring and paint in all bedrooms, giving a revitalized feel to the suite-style residence hall. The lounge joining Baker and Roush Halls features fresh paint, new furniture and a new TV, providing students with a reinvigorated space to enjoy each other’s company. These renovations are part of an ongoing schedule to address residence hall maintenance each summer.

Department of Education Literacy Lodge

This spring, the Department of Education opened its Literacy Lodge, a space created to develop early childhood literacy. The lodge gives Huntington University education students the opportunity to develop local children’s reading skills in a real-world teaching environment.

The space was funded through Lilly Endowment’s Advanced Science of Reading in Indiana program, an initiative to help Indiana colleges and universities expand and enhance the use of evidence-based instructional methods aligned with the Science of Reading in teacher preparation programs.