Quick hits: Western’s $54 million welcome center is under construction

Western Washington University is building a new $54 million Welcome Center designed to serve as the “primary arrival point” for prospective students, families and visitors. The south campus building is expected to be completed in fall 2027.

FULL STORY: Western’s $54 million welcome center building is in progress. Check it out

Here are key takeaways:

• The Western Welcome Center will house admissions offices, orientation and transition offices, academic advising and the student achievement center, centralizing support services the university says are not currently easy to find and access.
• The building will include a café, flexible study and meeting spaces, covered outdoor seating and a food pantry intended to create a social hub for prospective and current students.
• University leaders hope the project will boost recruitment and address past challenges that have kept students from enrolling or led them to leave without graduating.
• Provost Brad Johnson said Western has “for a long time, needed a ‘front door’ — a spot that provides a known and welcoming entry to campus.”
• The project is funded mostly through Washington State Capital Appropriations, with $6 million coming from student fees, university housing contributions and Chartwells Higher Education, the campus dining provider.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.