Western’s $54 million welcome center building is in progress. Check it out
Construction is underway on a new building at Western Washington University designed to serve as the “primary arrival point” for prospective students, families and visitors.
The Western Welcome Center, as it has newly been named, will also house essential student services including admissions offices, orientation and transition offices, academic advising and the student achievement center.
“The building is designed to help future students explore Western, connect with resources and support services, and get a better sense of what life at the university is actually like,” the university said in a May statement announcing the building’s name.
The south campus building will centralize support services that are not currently “easy to find and access,” according to the university. It will also include a café, flexible study and meeting spaces, covered outdoor seating and a food pantry that the university hopes will create a social hub for prospective and current students to connect.
The building is meant to help address past challenges that have kept students from enrolling or have led them to leave Western without graduating. University leaders hope the building will assist with recruitment and help prospective students connect to resources and community by clearly defining a central welcoming point on the campus core and directing visitors to a centralized information source.
“From my perspective, Western has, for a long time, needed a ‘front door’ — a spot that provides a known and welcoming entry to campus, and a place that is recognizable and connected to campus,” Provost Brad Johnson said in the statement. “It makes good strategic sense to occupy that space with essential student services, services for prospective students and their families, and for visitors and events, all in one place.”
The $54 million project will be fully accessible upon completion. It is funded mostly through Washington State Capital Appropriations, with $6 million of the total cost made up of student fees, contributions from university housing and Chartwells Higher Education, the university’s contracted campus dining provider.
Construction of the building is ongoing, with completion expected in the fall of 2027.
