Located on a prominent corner of the former Keane Athletic Field, the 94,000-sf, four-story facility forms a new central quadrangle on campus. The site overlooks the scenic city of Dubuque and the Mississippi River.

The Academic Resource Center will become the intellectual hub of campus, encompassing the campus library, tutorial center for writing and math, learning disabilities center, reading rooms, coffee shop, and book store. A 3,000-sf climate controlled museum space will be open to the pubic, featuring a rare book collection, city and college archives, and an exhibit of Dubuque history. A bridge connecting the Academic Resource Center to the existing Alumni Campus Center, the social hub of the College, encourages campus-wide interaction while recognizing the need for an intellectual and social balance in a college environment.

Anticipating future technologies and requirements of the College, data ports will be installed throughout the entire center for laptop computer users. This is integral to the entire technological operation of the Center. An online "card catalog" of information is provided at the main entry and is accessible throughout the building at several stations. Several informal gathering areas and 15 closed study areas for groups up to eight surround an ornamental cascading staircase that connects all four floors.