University of Illinois-Chicago Receives Green Light For New Residence Hall

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Big expansion plans are underway at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

The Illinois Board of Higher Education has given the green light to UIC's plans to build a 10-story, 550 bed residence hall near Harrison and Morgan.

UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis said the building would also include a two-story academic wing with classrooms and study space, as well as a retail area.

And he said the extra dorm space is needed.

"We saw that our freshman class actually increased by 23 percent. For the first time, we broke a record of 4,000 students in our freshman class," Amiridis said.

Construction is scheduled to start in December and last until mid-2019.