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IWU welcome center billed as 'gateway' to campus
BLOOMINGTON -- When Illinois Wesleyan University’s welcome center opens next week, the university will unveil its latest capital project, billed as a “gateway” to campus. IWU green is a color scheme featured throughout the building’s interior, but the $6 million welcome center brings an additional shade of green, too: Campus officials say it is the first building within Bloomington to gain federal Leadership in Environmental Design status, also known as LEED certification. The welcome center, at 1211 N. Park Street, will house the IWU admissions office and the university’s Craig Hart Career Center. “There’s a lot of excitement right now” about the move, said Bob Murray, enrollment management dean and one of the building’s new tenants. The two-story building is named in honor of the late Minor Myers Jr., who was president until his death in 2003. IWU won’t officially dedicate the building until Oct. 4, during homecoming. Campus leaders say that its location, at the corner of Park and Graham streets and less than a block from Empire Street, make it an ideal gateway for campus visitors. IWU President Dick Wilson has called the building “the front door to campus.” Besides potential students and their families visiting the campus and its admissions staff, the center’s career center also will be a first stop for individuals recruiting IWU students for jobs, internships or graduate school programs. “First impressions are important. And this makes a great first impression,” said Murray. As crews put final touches on the building last week, he pointed out features of the center, including an outdoor walkway paved with donors’ bricks. Indoors, an open lobby will greet visitors with Titans memorabilia, comfortable seating, and flat-screen televisions. The main floor and lower level will house admissions staff, including Murray and Tony Bankston, admissions dean. The main floor also contains a 75-seat auditorium. On the second floor, the Career Center gets a more centralized location on campus. Until now, Warren Kistner has directed that center from the lower level of the dorm, Gulick Hall. The center also has two conference rooms. Construction of the welcome center — at the site of the former United Methodist Conference Center — began in May 2007. Its architecture ties with nearby Presser Hall and Evelyn Chapel, said Bud Jorgenson, IWU physical plant director. Sustainability was a key part of the building design, said Jorgenson, noting the geothermal heating and cooling features, and use of recycled materials from the conference center, in general construction. Felmley-Dickerson is general contractor for the project. The welcome center is the first major IWU construction project since 2002, when the campus opened its $25.7 million Ames Library and unveiled an $8.1 million renovation of what now is the Hansen Student Center. The welcome center is funded entirely through private donations, Wilson said. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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