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Eight months after opening with hopes of becoming a central gathering point on campus and an asset in creating a strong international flavor, Global Village is paying off for Rochester Institute of Technology.
The $54 million project, with housing, retail space and restaurants on the southwest part of campus, has earned accolades for its international foods store and will have a central role for a leadership conference for women later this month.
Completed before the start of the 2010-11 school year, Global Village replaced the oldest housing on RIT's campus with 70 apartments housing six students each.
It was built with an international feel, with each floor and retail location taking a different global theme expressed through lighting, architecture and colors.
Overall the project has met the objectives RIT had for it, said James Watters, vice president for finance. But as importantly, Global Village has become the kind of student meeting place that administrators envisioned when planning it.
"Students sat out in the evenings in the courtyards well into late November, enjoying the ambiance...