After a major rehab spanning two academic years, April 16 marked the official ribbon cutting and open house for the newly renovated Goodell Hall.  

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Goodell has always been a hub of student-facing activity, from its beginnings as the university’s second library location in 1935 (when the first library was moved from Old Chapel) to its modern role as a student advising, career and study space. The 2023-25 renovation of the building fulfills a promise to student participants of a 2016 focus group who identified the need for centralized spaces for student support and activities.

Levels 3-6 are now home to programs, services, cultural centers and student groups. The third level houses Advocacy, Inclusion and Support Program spaces, Disability community space, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, Upward Bound and the Josephine White Eagle, Latinx American, Malcolm X and Yuri Kochiyama cultural centers.

Goodell’s fourth level is now home to the Stonewall Center, the Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success, the Career Development and Professional Connections interview suite, Disability Services and its exam and proctoring center, Diversity Education and Training and the Student Veterans Resource Center.

The fifth level is home to the Graduate School and Career Development and Professional Connections, while Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, while Civic Engagement and Service Learning, the Undergraduate Student Success Center and Public Interest Technology are located on the sixth level. 

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The ribbon cutting ceremony began with Master of Ceremonies and Associate Provost for Student Sucess Carolyn Bassett saying, “...we are delighted to gather with you and tell you about how this new Goodell came to be, our shared vision for its use going forward, and the early impact we’re already seeing on our students’ experience.” She added that the relocation into the renovated space involved moving 16 departments over a three-week period and included over 700 moving boxes.  

She then introduced Chancellor Javier Reyes, who spoke about the building’s history and its new campus role post-renovation. A primary objective to create a vibrant student success center that supports the university’s mission has been achieved, he said, by Goodell serving as a new home for advocacy, inclusion and student programs that co-locates crucial student success departments and elevates students’ central career center experience. It also modernizes the building with new windows and insulation and enhances its accessibility and inclusion with gender-inclusive bathrooms.  

“The renovation has given our nearly 5,000 on campus graduate students a beautiful space that says, ‘You and your success matter,’” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Fouad Abd-El-Khalick. “What used to be a challenging maze of hard-to-find offices is now a state-of-the-art interconnected suite of service suites, staff offices and event spaces provides graduate students with a deserving home on campus.” 

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Peter Gray-Mullen, director of construction for the UMass Building Authority, said the $53 million project made the 95,000-square-foot building fully accessible, and the sustainability goal is for Goodell to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified at the gold level. 

Also providing perspective from the undergraduate and graduate student points of view were Debadatta Chakraborty, a doctoral candidate in sociology, and Marielsa McBride, a cultural anthropology major and education minor.

Staff of some of the resources now housed in Goodell praised the new space for bringing “a fresh perspective to the work we do,” allowing them to feel more closely connected to students, and giving students more opportunities to connect and collaborate with each other.