Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1

At the heart of every campus, you will find a place around which all student life seems to orbit, a building humming with activity and echoing with the voices of eager, exuberant young people.

Since Patrick Henry College opened its doors in 2000, Founder's Hall has served as that building. It is home to the Chancellor's and President's offices, the dining hall, the bookstore, the library, faculty and staff offices, and the majority of the College's classrooms.

 The Barbara Hodel Center, December 2008

We are now poised to undertake our next ambitious building project - The Barbara Hodel Center. The 106,000 square-foot student center will become the hub of student life on campus and will greatly enhance our recruitment and retention efforts. The cost of this vital building is $31 million.

As of February 2008, funding for the Barbara Hodel Student Life Center has been guaranteed! 

A generous family has committed to provide the funds necessary for completion. As a result, we have just told our builder to go full speed ahead to completion.  Of course, the donor family anticipates that other major donors will ultimately join them in funding the building, but their guarantee means that the building will be fully funded and open for use by the start of the fall 2009 semester.

Frequently Asked Questions

What will be included in the building?
A full-size gymnasium, dinning hall, bookstore and lounge, running track, two racquetball courts, fitness space, classrooms, faculty and staff offices.

What gifts are you seeking?
This will probably be the largest building ever built on the campus, and it is the largest capital project to date. Please contact the Development Office for more details. You can make a secure online gift by credit card to the Barbara Hodel Student Life Center here, or you may call the Office of Advancement at 1-540-441-8700 for further information.

The BHC Story

Why is it called the "Barbara Hodel" Student Life Center?
Read the story.

Would it be better to invest in an academic facility rather than an athletic facility?
This facility will provide an important outlet for students to exercise and participate in sports. The curriculum of the College is demanding, and it is important for students to have appropriate opportunities for physical exercise. However, this is not merely an athletic facility. The student center will also allow us to triple the size of our library using vacated space in our present dining hall and fitness room located in Founders Hall. We have outgrown our current dining hall. We also need more common areas for students to gather and study in group settings. The Barbara Hodel Center will also include classrooms, faculty offices, and music practice rooms. Our strategic plans call for the addition of an economics and business major in a few years, and we presently do not have the space for additional classrooms and faculty offices, much less for other planned program expansions.

Why was the student center project selected over other possibilities?
The other building project considered at this time was the chapel. However, the site for the chapel on our master plan has not received construction approval by the county. Like many areas of the country, Loudoun County has a rigorous development process that will require considerable planning and approval. The site of The Barbara Hodel Center is within the city limits and had the needed approvals. More importantly, it provides a critical missing student life resource on which the rest of our collegiate program can stand.

What is the projected completion date?
We began construction on November 21, 2006. We anticipate completion of the project in May 2009, with the Grand Opening celebration in October 2009.

Does a college the size of PHC really need a student life center?
The long-range plan is to have a student body of 1,200 and expand to offer majors in business, law, and music. We have designed this facility with future growth in mind. Yet even our present program needs to be adequately resourced. Prospective students and their parents are very interested in the kind and extent of resources available for their college experience. The other colleges that our typical student visits will have facilities similar to the student life building, and the lack of such facilities puts PHC at a comparative disadvantage even in maintaining enrollment at present levels.