About The Petrick Idea Center

President S. Georgia Nugent announced in October 2021 plans for The Petrick Idea Center, a new 50,000 square-foot facility on Illinois Wesleyan University’s campus that will serve as a nerve center for interdisciplinary innovation, collaboration and creativity, grounded in the liberal arts.

This project will be funded entirely through donor and grant support, with a significant lead gift from the building’s namesakes, Ellen (Reid) Petrick ’68  and the late Dave Petrick ‘67. The Petricks are engaged and generous donors who have been instrumental in supporting the development of the University's initiatives centered on innovative thinking in product design.

“Ellen and I are thrilled to be lead donors for The Petrick Idea Center, a project that represents a culmination of our passions and dreams,” Dave Petrick said in October 2021. “It’s our hope that this space will positively impact students whose majors span the academic spectrum. We believe that everyone has a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, and through the development of The Petrick Idea Center, students from across campus will have access to the resources and support needed to advance new products, services and initiatives in the ‘do well, do good’ spirit of former President Minor Myers jr. Ellen and I loved attending Illinois Wesleyan as students, and we love what Wesleyan has grown to become for current students. It’s our vision that this project will give Illinois Wesleyan a competitive edge as the University recruits and educates the leaders and problem solvers of tomorrow.”

Read the full press release

 

“The Petrick Idea Center will be a place devoted to creativity in all its forms, to new ideas, and especially to solutions. As a true living-learning community, it will be a major new presence on the Illinois Wesleyan campus, both physically and conceptually, challenging our students and all of us to imagine what’s possible—and to create new realities.”

- S. Georgia Nugent, IWU President