Renovation crews have been inside 109 High Street on Rowan Boulevard since March 2026. Their deadline is close. Rowan University expects the Esports and Gaming Center, a 7,100-square-foot space in Glassboro, New Jersey, to open in January 2027, and esports manager Tom Panico told the student newspaper the working date is January 18.
From Nerd Street to Sole Rowan Control
The building is not new. It ran in partnership with Nerd Street, an outside gaming operator, before Rowan took over the operation entirely and placed the venue inside its Center for Esports, under the Student Centers and Campus Activities office. Direct control, university officials say, lets programming, leadership development and academic experiences align with the broader educational mission.
What Goes In
More than 60 competitive gaming PCs. Console stations. Collaboration and viewing areas, competition zones, a broadcast studio for match commentary, and two dedicated classrooms that give esports courses a home of their own. Wi-Fi and other hardware are being upgraded to keep pace with fast play. The renovation, started in March, is in its final months.
Belonging, Says the Dean
Kevin Koett, Rowan’s vice chancellor for Student Life and also its dean of students, kept his framing on student life itself. “The Esports & Gaming Center represents an investment in the overall student experience,” he said, adding that “It provides students with a place to connect, collaborate and engage around shared interests while fostering a sense of belonging that is essential to student well-being and success.”
Academics ride along with the monitors. In 2024 Rowan established an esports major plus two undergraduate certificates aimed at industry careers, and the new building gives that coursework a physical anchor. Kacey Doran, an assistant teaching professor in the esports academic programs, welcomed it plainly. “I’m excited for the esports students to have a space and take ownership of it since it’s like their stadium,” she said. Joe Lizza, the senior director in charge of Student Centers and Campus Activities, pointed past competition itself, to the event management, broadcasting and production, marketing, communications technology and team-running work students can pick up on site.
The Overwatch Captain’s View
For the teams, the center fixes a simple problem. Rowan’s esports squads had no formal place to play together and leaned on their own gear at home. “It feels great as a player to be able to have a space since last semester the space was always closed,” said Jacob Nieves, a junior radio, television and film major who captains the Overwatch team. “It also means we have a chance to get to know each other since we each have been playing at home.”
Panico, one of the staff members steering the renovation, described months of grinding work on the building’s online connection. “We’ve all been working very hard and renovated a lot of upgrades for online connection to the building,” he said. The doors, schedule holding, open January 18.
Sources
- Rowan to open Esports & Gaming Center in January 2027 | Rowan Today | Rowan University
- Rowan to open Esports & Gaming Center next semester – The Whit
