New building on NCSSM campus marks the end of construction

Entering the Morganton campus of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in late March, the lawns were picketed by caution signs warning “Keep off grass!” Traffic cones and orange safety fencing blocked off sidewalks. But that will soon change.

Construction crews bustled around the site putting the final touches on the 28,500-square-foot UNC Health Blue Ridge Student Wellness & Activities Center (SWAC) at NCSSM-Morganton, cleaning up scuffs and making sure lightbulbs are screwed in just right to be ready for inspection and use.

“To really have a whole space dedicated to their wellness, and I mean that in a rounded sense, I think it’s gonna, in a good way, surprise all of us that we lived without it,” said Chad Barrow, director of capital projects and Morganton facilities management.

“It also marks the end of major construction on this campus. So, it’s a small, but big, thing. Our sidewalks, now you can run the entire campus without stepping onto the vehicular roadways.”

The building, which broke ground April 1, 2024, will be dedicated entirely to student well-being.

Although a “very generous donation” of $5 million secured UNC Health Blue Ridge naming rights, the health providers function separately as an independent partner in the health clinic services available to students.

From a health clinic and counseling upstairs to a basketball court and yoga room downstairs, the space will open exclusively to students and staff in the next few weeks, with entrances and signs strategically placed on the campus-facing side of the building to increase security and ensure student-only access.

The state construction office is coming during the week following Easter to review the finished building and make any notes necessary for the certificate of occupancy.

DOWNSTAIRS

The new regulation-sized basketball court is marked for both volleyball and basketball, with a small set of bleachers slated to be installed along the wall.

While it won’t be enough to host large-crowd games, it is a step up for the school’s teams, meaning they won’t have to trek over to the North Carolina School For the Deaf (NCSD) to use the Underhill Gym for practices anymore.

Just above the new gym is a 300-foot walking track that overlooks the court, utilizing the same footprint to provide a space for students and staff to stretch their legs any time during standard hours and before curfew.

The downstairs area also features a fitness studio, primed for yoga classes, wellness classes, and the like. The office for student services is also downstairs.

There are separate locker rooms for students and faculty, although the faculty’s space provides showers, since students live on campus and can return to their dorms to clean up after a workout.

UPSTAIRS

The upstairs space is dedicated to health, with two sets of offices offset by the lobby. One set functions as a mini doctor’s office, where students can go for general health clinic needs.

Their partner in operating the clinic, UNC Health Blue Ridge, provided feedback and notes, which the construction teams incorporated as available within size and budget restraints.

Across the lobby, another series of four cozy offices operated by an in-house team of counselors will assist students in need of mental health services, from emotional well-being to academic success, with windows overlooking the hills between NCSD and NCSSM. Upstairs also houses the offices for advising and for athletics.

COST

While NCSSM-Morganton filled the halls of old NCSD buildings when it first opened in 2022, the campus required extensive renovations, upfits, and other capital improvements to meet the needs of incoming students and staff.

“NCSSM-Morganton and its construction is an excellent example of a public-private partnership,” NCSSM Vice Chancellor and Chief Campus Officer Kevin Baxter said. “The initial investment by the state of North Carolina was nearly $100 million through the Connect NC Bond measure and capital appropriations to construct the Morganton campus. NCSSM, through the NCSSM Foundation, then raised an additional $14 million privately.”

The $14 million included UNC Health’s donation of $5 million.

RENOVATION

Across campus, crews finished renovating the historic Joiner Hall in September 2025. Construction began on that building back in November 2023.

Several of the buildings on-campus, including Goodwin Hall and the Barn where NCSSM hosts many events, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the State Historic Preservation Office. When NCSSM settled on the location, they decided to renovate these buildings and put them to use.

Spring 2026 marks the first semester Joiner Hall has been open for use, primarily as a fine arts building.

From wide, historic windows projecting sunlight directly into lower-level arts studios to spacious conference rooms still sporting the original beams from their historic construction, and the signatures of workers who built them, the hall’s development took a slightly different route from SWAC.

According to Barrow, the school encountered some speedbumps with funding and grants for the renovations, giving faculty time to reflect on what they’d like to see included in the building, and mesh that into the overall development.

“We were able to meet some of those requests, or ideas, in having a delayed opening of this building,” Barrow said. “That’s distinct from SWAC. Even though we had minor changes there, it just didn’t have the same instructional intention that this building always had.”