NEIT Plans Dorms and More in Expansion Project

The New England Institute of Technology has filed plans with the town to expand it East Greenwich campus, including the construction of 400 dorm units.

Though the school hasn't filed official plans yet, officials from the school have been meeting with town officials, including a workshop earlier this month with the Planning Board, to detail some of their plans.

During that meeting, school officials said they wanted to complete the dorms for occupancy by 2017, build a new dining hall and expand other aspects of the campus, such as an expansion of dining services, a campus green and more.

The plans dovetail the school's master plan approval in 2011 for the campus, which is steadily becoming an increasingly-busy epicenter of learning. 

More details about the plans will be unveiled at the Planning Board's meetings in June and July.

The expansion plans are part of the college's ongoing efforts to broaden and expand its offerings in recent years. Though the college offers associates, bachelors and masters degrees and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, there are still Rhode Islanders who think it's just a trade school.

But there are plenty of people who know otherwise, including the thousands of students who are taking courses from the more than 40 programs the college offers. Along with many people still trying to recover from the economic downturn or looking at career changes and developing new skills, the college is seeing increasing demand and it's not just from commuters looking for night courses.

A more vibrant campus, along with added student groups, activities, sports clubs and other functions, are part of what differentiates a commuter school from a college campus.

The dorms and dining hall were included in the master plan, but details about the buildings locations and design features were not fully sketched out.