When Diana Piantanida arrived on campus for the parent version of SLU 101, Saint Louis University's two-day freshman orientation, she was "amazed" by how different her alma mater looked and felt.

"It feels more like a campus now," Piantanida said. A 1988 graduate, she remembers walking down city streets to get to her classes — a fact that made her father nervous, even though she always felt perfectly safe. Today, as a parent, she said she appreciates that some of those streets have been closed and pedestrian malls and green spaces have taken their place.

Jeanette Grider, senior media relations specialist at Saint Louis University, said Piantanida's reaction is not uncommon. "People are often surprised to find that in the heart of the city there's this wonderful green campus complete with waterfalls and a duck pond."

"It's come a long way!" Piantanida said, as she compared her SLU experience with the one that awaits her daughter. She spoke enthusiastically about the recent renovations to Cook Hall, the campus' technology-equipped "smart classrooms," and the improvements to Busch Student Center, which she described as "the center of campus."

"Actually," she confessed, "there wasn't anything that didn't impress me."

Of course, Saint Louis University isn't the only local university undergoing a noteworthy transformation.

At Maryville University, the traditional 1960s architecture of Gander Hall belies the grandeur of its recently renovated administrative offices and spacious new dining hall and food court. Flat screen televisions circle the new two-story atrium and wonderful natural light floods in through floor to ceiling windows, which offer a great view of the beautifully landscaped plaza.

In addition to looking really good, Jerry Brisson, Maryville's executive director for Planning, Research and Technology, explained that the upgrades were chosen to give students what they want — from later dining hours to more food options* to Wi-Fi everywhere.

"Actually, the entire campus is Wi-Fi enabled, even the baseball fields," Brisson said, acknowledging that today's students expect to be able to access the internet wherever and whenever they want. To meet this expectation, Maryville has increased its bandwidth from 80mg to 300mg for fall 2011.

In St. Charles, student need also provided the catalyst for the creation of the new Evans Commons student center on the campus of Lindenwood University.

"Prior to the Evans Commons, there really was no designated student center," explained Giang Tran, assistant director of Lindenwood University's Student Life and Leadership program. She proudly showed off the new building, which includes office space for campus organizations, a dining hall complete with a theater-quality projection system, a state-of-the-art fitness center, basketball courts, sport court, laundry facility and the university's post office.

Tran expects the three-story building to become a hub of student activity and is delighted that her office is in the center of it all. A Lindenwood graduate, with both undergraduate and graduate degrees, Tran came to the university after graduating high school in Germany.

I wanted to know what influenced her choice.

"Why St. Charles, right?" she asked and then laughed as if it's a question she has been asked before. She explained that her college search began with International Doorways, an organization that matches international students with American universities; however, her college selection boiled down to two things — Lindenwood's proximity to the airport ("I knew I'd be going home a lot") and her ability to acquire dual undergraduate degrees in international business and international relations. Now, it appears that Lindenwood is simply home. Her affection for her alma mater turned employer was evident as she talked about all the changes taking place from new dorms to the relatively new J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts to the Evans Commons.

"We spoil our students," Tran said simply.

That's a statement that rings true on campuses across the country as students increasingly find themselves surrounded by conveniences and comforts that are often better than those they left at home.

*Learn more about Maryville University's new dining experience in "Food, Glorious Food". Photos courtesy of the universities.