Foundation describes plans for new alumni center

Northwest Missouri State University staff representing the Northwest Foundation met with homeowners Thursday, Jan. 31, to discuss plans for a new alumni center to be constructed on the corner of College Avenue and North Munn Avenue.

The meeting was held to solicit input from neighborhood residents about the proposed facility.

Construction will require the demolition of four existing homes that have already been acquired by the Foundation, whose board will be asked to approve architectural plans for the 17,000 square-foot structure at its next meeting in March.

A second neighborhood informational meeting, during which nearby property owners will again be encouraged to ask questions and express concerns, is scheduled for Feb. 19. A community and campuswide meeting is planned for mid-March.

Northwest Vice President for University Advancement Orrie Covert, who also acts as the Foundation’s executive director, said Thursday that a new alumni center is needed due to significant growth in the form of rising levels of donor support and alumni involvement.

In addition, the Alumni House, built in the early 1900s and purchased by the Foundation in 1980, has a number of drawbacks, Covert said, including lack of access for people with disabilities, inadequate wiring for computers and other office equipment, limited parking and insufficient space for large gatherings.

Covert emphasized that the Foundation has no intention of getting rid of the current Alumni House, a gracious brick structure that he described as a “very special building filled with a lot of special memories for many people.” Most probably it will be used for small gatherings.

The new facility, Covert said, has been carefully designed to compliment the area’s residential character and will provide the Foundation with a modern facility containing offices, conference rooms, lounge areas and a meeting/banquet area capable of seating up to 350 people.

“We are making every effort to create a facility that will blend in with the neighborhood,” Covert said. “That is a high priority for us.”

In October, the Foundation board approved a $4.9 million budget for the center to include property acquisition, design, construction, furnishings and other costs. The money will come from a $15.3 million bond issue the Foundation is putting together that will also provide funds for the remodeling of the lower level of Valk Hall into offices and classrooms, a studio theater addition to the Performing Arts Center and new lights and synthetic turf at Bearcat Stadium.

Covert said he expects the bonds to be issued in a few weeks, which, along with board approval of architectural plans, would pave the way for demolition of the four existing properties in mid-March and the start of center construction as early as April. If all goes as planned, the new alumni center would open in fall 2009.

The Northwest Foundation Inc. was created to promote the welfare, goals and programs of Northwest Missouri State University. Its mission is to encourage, receive, invest, manage, steward and disburse private support on behalf of Northwest's donors for the benefit of the University, its students, faculty, staff and alumni. Established in 1971, the Foundation operates independently of the state institution as a separate 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation governed by its own board of directors.

For more information, please contact:

Mitzi Lutz, Advancement Communications Specialist
Office of University Advancement
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468
mitzi@nwmissouri.edu
Phone: 660.562.1248
Fax: 660.562.1990
www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni

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