Student Union | The State College, 1949-1972 | Special Collections & Archives

President John W. Jones was the first president to have a Ph.D. He guided the school from 1945 to 1964. The Student Union was later named after President J.W. Jones.

By 1965, the Student Union building featured a ballroom on the third floor and a bookstore on the second floor.

A bowling alley was constructed in the Union in 1966 and was a very popular recreational sport with students until the 1980s. The bowling alley was removed during the renovations during the 1980s.

The Bearcat Den was a popular place for students to hang-out from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Prior to the Student Union renovation in 1999, the west side of the Union featured a mosaic of mascot Bobby Bearcat. The 13-foot tile mosaic was installed in 1966 and was designed by Roderick Carroll.

In 1999, the J.W. Jones Student Union underwent extensive renovations to its interior and exterior.

The renovation of the Student Union in 1999 dramatically changed the face of the west side of the building, adding an outdoor patio and a wall of windows to allow more natural sunlight into the building.

Parents leave the Student Union after dining during SOAR days.

Northwest's Student Union was built to provide students with a center for socializing, dining and recreation. The Union, named after President J.W. Jones, provided a wide array of services such as meeting spaces, food and dining, a book store and recreation opportunities, including a bowling alley. Everything inside the Union was designed to be as student friendly as possible with the goal of bringing together on and off-campus students. The Student Union would continue to reflect that mission over the next decades as the building changed to accommodate changing student and campus needs.