As the initial point of contact for prospective students and their parents, the new Welcome Center will enhance that very important first impression of the University.

This letter appeared in the Summer 2007 issue of the Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine

I am pleased to report that the University has two major capital projects planned for this summer: (1) the Minor Myers Welcome Center and (2) the Main Lounge in the Memorial Center. Construction of the Minor Myers Welcome Center, which was proposed in 2003 to honor the late President Myers, will begin in late June.

We appreciate all alumni and friends who contributed to this important new facility, especially Kent '62 and Sue Wallace of Dallas, Texas, who provided the leadership gift to initiate this project. We also are grateful to our trustees who provided additional leadership funding for the project. There continue to be ways to participate for those who would still like to make a contribution, including the recently announced Alumni Walk portion of the project which Ben Rhodes in Development will be happy to discuss with you. An artist's rendering of the new building can be viewed on the Web at www2.iwu.edu/president/WelcomeCenter.shtml.

As you probably know, the Myers Welcome Center will be the new home for the Office of Admissions and the Hart Career Center. By housing these two student-centered offices in the same building, we hope to convey the importance we place on serving our students' needs throughout their association with the University.  Because the Welcome Center will be the initial point of campus contact for prospective students and their parents, the new facility will also enhance that very important first impression of the University.

The Welcome Center will occupy the space on which the vacant Methodist Conference Center now sits, just north of the president's residence on Park Street. Once the Conference Center has been removed, construction of the new Welcome Center will begin. One special point of pride is that the Welcome Center has been designed to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified as a Green Building. We expect the Myers Welcome Center to be ready for occupancy in the summer of 2008.

The renovation of the Main Lounge in the Memorial Center is underway, thanks to generous support from Sodexho, our food-service partner. This room, which is located on the second floor of the Memorial Center, is used for a wide range of campus and community events each year. The renovation will involve physical as well as aesthetic changes that will make this a much more inviting and functional space. We expect the Main Lounge renovation to be completed by the beginning of the fall semester.

Both of these capital projects are part of our ongoing effort to enhance the experience for students and visitors to Illinois Wesleyan, and we are delighted to be moving them forward. Pat and I send our best wishes for the summer.

All the best,