Kalamazoo College - Virtual Tour
Welcome to Kalamazoo College!
We are known for being the home of the K-Plan, our distinct approach to academics in the liberal arts and sciences. If you would like a guided experience, sign up for a virtual tour at kzoo.edu/visit.
Kalamazoo College
Founded in 1833, Kalamazoo College is among the 100 oldest colleges and universities in the nation. Our mission is to prepare students to better understand, live successfully in and lead our richly diverse world.
Welcome to Campus!
One of the primary gateways to campus, this view greets most visitors as they arrive. Looking up the red brick road, you'll see Dow Science Center on your left and the Admission Welcome Center on your right.
Dewing Hall Classroom
This classroom in Dewing Hall is among the larger ones on campus. Lecture halls might have 35 students, although our average class has 16 students, and our student-to-teacher ratio is just 10 to 1.
Small Class Rooms
Our average class has 16 students, and our student-to-teacher ratio is just 10 to 1.
Dow Science Center Lab
The labs at Dow Science Center are where students work alongside our faculty in majors such as chemistry and biology. Students often work with state-of-the-art equipment rarely available to undergraduates elsewhere.
Research in the Arb
Research isn't always done in a lab. Kalamazoo College's Lillian Anderson Arboretum is comprised of 140 acres of marsh, meadow, pine plantation and forest in Oshtemo Township. This area affords some classes — such as ecology and conservation, analytical chemistry, entomology, creative writing and environmental ethics — chances to learn in the outdoors. Check out the video on the Arb to learn more.
Student Research
A biology student uses a fluorescence dissecting microscope while performing summer research.
Dow Science Center Lecture Hall
Biology and chemistry are two of K’s most distinguished programs and many students start journeys in this lecture hall toward graduate and medical school. This room represents one of K’s largest learning environments.
SIP Example 1
As one of the tenets of the K-Plan, The Senior Integrated Project (SIP) allows you to explore a subject of your own choosing. Here a student presents her research to her peers at a SIP Symposium.
SIP Example 2
Here is a very different example of one student’s Senior Integrated Project. This is your path. You have the freedom to design your own project in partnership with your SIP advisor—the options are endless!
Center of Campus
Academy and Thompson streets form the crossroads of campus. Go east for a walk downtown, where you can find coffee shops, restaurants, art hops and festivals. Go west into a beautiful neighborhood and a neighboring university.
Light Fine Arts Building
The Light Fine Arts building is the home for K’s performing-arts based organizations, which are open to all students regardless of their majors. These groups include Frelon, a dance company; several a capella singing groups; and Monkapult, an improvisational-comedy group that counts comedian Jordan Klepper and actor Steven Yeun among its famous alumni. Students can take private lessons on a variety of musical instruments. The Dalton Theater holds several music concerts and all-campus gatherings. Light Fine Arts is home to the art and art history, theatre arts and music departments.Upjohn Library Commons
Upjohn Library Commons features ideal study space in quiet settings such as the second-floor reading room, which provides a beautiful view of campus, two fireplaces and comfortable furniture. The library also provides the Book Club Café, the Learning Commons, the Writing Center, the Center for New Media Design, and nine classrooms.Olds-Upton Hall
Olds-Upton Hall is the place should you need inspiration during your Senior Integrated Project. Visit the fourth-floor inspiration skylight where some alumni say they’ve suddenly received the creativity they need for their work after being touched by the sun’s rays on a cold winter day. This building, originally called the Olds Science Hall, was built in 1927 for the chemistry and physics departments. Today, students study physics, math, computer science, psychology and political science here. These programs often provide opportunities for research projects and applied outside-the-classroom experiences on and off campus.Mandelle Hall
Mandelle Hall once served as the campus library and now is home to its offices of financial aid, advancement and the president and provost. The historic Olmsted Room at Mandelle Hall hosts the William Weber Lecture in Government and Society, which brings to campus nationally known scholars to inspire dialogue and foster critical thinking within the College community.
Dewing Hall
Dewing Hall is where students find study abroad experiences, internship and externship positions and civic engagement opportunities. Academic programs at Dewing include history, foreign languages, and economics and business.
The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement (CCE)
The CCE connects students, faculty, and community members in partnerships that foster collaborative learning and civic participation through community based courses, student-led programs and community building internships.
The Center for Career and Professional Development
The Center for Career and Professional Development helps students step confidently into life after K with career planning, coaching, peer mentorship, networking, internship and job searches and more. Learn more about their services here.
The Center for International Programs
The Center for International Programs at Kalamazoo College provides global education opportunities, empowering K students to achieve their full potential as world citizens. Learn more about our study abroad and study away programs, as well as support and programming for our international students here.
Upjohn Library Commons
The library’s first floor includes study areas, a computer lab, the Book Club Café and our Learning Commons and Writing Center, where students get peer assistance in writing, biology, chemistry, graphics and research.
Book Club Café
The Book Club Café, serving coffees and other beverages, as well as grab-and-go food such as salads, sandwiches and sides, is a welcoming place to do homework and hang out with friends.
Reading Room
The second and third floors of the library get progressively quieter. The Reading Room on second floor has cozy fireplaces for chilly days. The third floor has study spaces and the A.M. Todd Rare Book Room.
Reading Room
West Campus and Arcus Center
The Upper Quad includes the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The ACSJL focuses on developing and sustaining leaders in human rights and social justice through education and capacity-building. The residence halls here include DeWaters and Trowbridge.
Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership
City Overlook and Stowe Stadium
A short walk takes you downtown, visible from Stowe Tennis Stadium. You'll find restaurants, off-campus jobs and housing, and businesses for internships. Stowe is home to K’s tennis teams as well as the USTA Boys’ 18s and 16s National Championships.
Stowe Stadium
Besides being home to the annual USTA Boys’ 18s and 16s National Championships, Stowe Stadium is home to the Hornets historic tennis program. Learn more about “the streak.”
Downtown Kalamazoo
Nothing beats a small city for combining location, educational opportunities and a sense of a close-knit home. Learn more here.
Light Fine Arts Building
Light Fine Arts is the home of K’s performing arts, which are open to all students. Groups include a dance company, a capella singing groups and a comedy group that counts comedian Jordan Klepper among its alumni.
Dalton Theatre
Dalton Theatre is the place on campus for guest-artist performances, music concerts and student organization shows featuring a capella music, improvisational comedy and dance programs.
Dalton Theatre - Center Stage
Nelda K. Balch Festival Playhouse
There is a role for you at the Nelda K. Balch Festival Playhouse, which uses students as assistant directors, stage managers, actors and more. Three student productions a year are on the oldest thrust stage in Michigan.
Playhouse Production
Theatre that is always provocative. Theatre that is always thoughtful. Learn more about the Festival Playhouse
Trowbridge Hall Lounge
One of several student lounges in Trowbridge Hall provides space for students to study, host events, work on group projects, unwind playing the piano or just hang out.
Trowbridge Hall Lounge
Hoben Hall Lounge
You'll quickly see why this Hoben lounge is a social hub for students. The hall’s resident assistants foster community with events each week here. These communal spaces also have a kitchen area where students can cook.
Hoben Lounge
Hoben Hall Room
This first-year residence hall room at Hoben Hall has modular furniture while also featuring some built-ins. On-campus living means you’re never far from your classes or your next meal!
Residence Hall Room Example
Here is another example of a room you might find in on-campus housing.
Residence Hall Room Suite Example
Some rooms are suites and feature a shared common room.
Hicks Student Center
The Hicks Center has our bookstore, a computer lab, Dining Services with a sandwich-shop style eatery and a cafeteria, the Intercultural Center, the health and counseling centers, and the Office of Student Involvement.
Richardson Room
The Richardson Room is one of the meal plan friendly alternatives where students can grab a quick snack or meal.
Welles Dining Hall
Whether living on or off campus, there are a variety of meal plans to choose from with the Dining Hall among the most popular places to eat. President Gonzalez and his wife often dine here with students.
Welles Dining Hall
Welles Dining Hall is the social hub on campus.
Hicks Student Center Game Room
The game room at the Hicks Student Center is a great place for students to blow off steam or take a break from studying.
Upper Quad and Stetson Chapel
This view is from the top of the Quad outside Stetson Chapel. From Convocation to Commencement and so much in between, the Quad is home to amazing student experiences and memories in everyone’s educational journey.
Fun on the Quad
Sledding the Quad is a rite of passage for many K students. Especially so for our out-of-state students from warmer climates.
Class on the Quad
It’s not uncommon to find classes or student organizations meeting on the Quad
Stetson Chapel
Stetson Chapel is a site for Community Reflections, concerts and more. The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life provides programs here for students just exploring spirituality and for those wanting religious tradition.
Fitness and Wellness Center - Lower Level
The Fitness and Wellness Center illustrates K's holistic focus on wellness for both students and staff. It was designed and constructed with high standards for energy efficiency and resource conservation.
Fitness and Wellness Center - Upper Level
The Fitness and Wellness Center is free for all students. It includes a weight and cardio fitness area, multi-purpose rooms, a dance studio, locker rooms, and practice areas for Cirque du K, the student circus club.
East Campus
K first used Humphrey House as a residence hall. It evolved into faculty housing and now is a home for the English, Philosophy, Religion and Classics departments, as well as the Critical Ethnic Studies program.
Natatorium Interior
The Kalamazoo College Natatorium is home to the Kalamazoo College men's and women's swimming and diving teams. The natatorium is also open to all K students, faculty and staff and supports community programming.
Lower Quad
Harmon and Hoben Hall flank the Lower Quad. Olds Upton houses physics, math, computer science, psychology and political science, nurturing opportunities for research and applied outside-the-classroom experiences.
Lab in Olds-Upton Hall
This physics lab is held in Olds-Upton Hall, where students have the opportunity to work alongside faculty.
Latinx Fest
You’ll find student activities and events throughout the year on the lower Quad, like K Fest, Latinx Fest and Quadstock.
Heart of Campus
Can you imagine yourself as a K student? Check out our in-person visit options, connect with an Admission Counselor, or apply to K and start your journey today!
Commencement
From the convocation ceremony beginning your journey at K through graduation, the Quad is the heart of campus and will become home to many of your favorite K memories.
Anderson Athletic Center
Anderson Athletic Center is home to the Kalamazoo College volleyball and men's and women's basketball teams. The facility is also available to club sports, student organizations, intramurals, and the overall college community.
Volleyball
Women’s Basketball
Men’s Basketball
Varsity Weight Room
The weight room above the gym at Anderson Athletic Center is a dedicated space meant for athletes, allowing them to seriously train and lift weights.
Athletic Field House
On the Athletic Field House grounds, K athletes compete in football, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and baseball. Whether you’re an athlete or a fan, these fields are magnificent places.
Hornets Suite
The upper level on the west end of the Field House features the Hornets Suite, a large multi-purpose room overlooking the football field used for team meetings, campus gatherings, banquets and other events.
Homecoming
Hornets Suite Overlook
Events in the Hornets Suite offer a great view of the football field and the Hornets Suite deck is the place to be on game day.
Overlook of Fields
Angell Field
Cheer for K's football team in the fall at Angell Field.
Football
MacKenzie Field - Lacrosse and Soccer
MacKenzie Field, the site for men's and women's lacrosse and men's and women's soccer, is a popular spot to be during the week while watching your classmates take on their competition.
Sports on MacKenzie Field
Woodworth Field – Baseball
Check out our diamonds! Sit in the stands and watch the Hornets hit in single games and double-headers.
Baseball
Softball Field
Check out our diamonds! The field on the west side of the complex is where our softball team trains and competes with dedication and passion.
Softball
Hornet Locker Rooms
Just over 30% percent of our students participate in intercollegiate athletics. Many locker rooms include personalized lockers and areas equipped with audio and visual equipment for team meetings.
Markin Tennis Center
The Markin Tennis Center is the indoor home of K’s men's and women's tennis teams. The lobby display cases highlight K's numerous conference titles and seven NCAA III men's tennis national championships.
