GENNY BOOTS
Mast TV General Manager
bootsgj@plu.edu
A new look is coming to the Admin building as final preparations take place for the Admission Office Welcome Center. With the tentative opening set for March 1, the Welcome Center will be the first impression for prospective students and visitors to campus, featuring a dynamic new look for PLU.
“Right now the Admission Office is where we welcome our guests, and it’s not that engaging,” said Admission Program Manager Kathy Engel. “We decided, with the support of the university, to create a welcome center that was more welcoming and homelike.”
The welcome center is located in the lobby of the Hauge Administration Building, around the corner from the current Admission Office. This new space will be where campus tours and visits will begin from. The old office will remain for admission staff and overflow space.
“The other office is kind of a hive- we are all busy bees all the time. So this should welcoming, hopefully not as loud and and just an overall friendlier place,” said Engel.
For the past year the Admission Office has been piecing together the new space working with the design company SuperGraphic. SuperGraphic is a Seattle based design company that counts two PLU alums on their executive board.
Working with a design team that knew PLU so intimately was important for the Admission Office. “What I really liked about them [SuperGraphics] is that they are not trying to change what we are or who we are. They understand who PLU is. They have pride in this place,” said Director of Admission Melody Ferguson.
This pride in PLU has translated into a welcome center will embrace all parts of the university. “It is going to be a place that has black and gold, and a place that takes the mid-mod furniture of Hauge and says ‘that’s okay, we like it’ and puts the mission statement front and center on one of the walls,” said Ferguson.
As of now, passersby might notice that the space looks sparse. Desks, chairs and more design elements are on the way for the early March opening. For the prospective students and families, the welcome center will be a place to proudly show off what PLU has to offer.
“I am excited about creating a really good first impression for families – warm, welcoming, shows the spirit of the place in a really quick snapshot. And then we get to send them around campus where they can feel the heart of PLU,” said Ferguson.
For more information regarding the Welcome Center contact admission@plu.edu.
