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Moving trucks shuttled back and forth for much of the day as staff members helped direct movers and lines formed by the elevator. ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ tour guides led themselves through the new two-story, 32,000-square-foot building. They snapped photos with iPhones and threw out words like “stunning” and “gorgeous.”

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ staff and tour guides walk through the two-story Nugent Atrium.[/caption]When the move is complete, the building will house under one roof 43 full-time staff members working in undergraduate and graduate admissions, financial planning and the welcome center. The financial planning staff and much of the undergraduate staff moved Monday; graduate admissions staff members will move next week.

The Inman ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Welcome Center is named for trustee William J. Inman and his wife, Patricia “Pat” Inman and will introduce thousands of prospective students each year to the opportunities and benefits of an ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ education.

“The Inman ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Welcome Center will offer prospective students and their families a wonderful front door to ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ,” said Greg Zaiser, vice president of admissions and financial planning. “This building enhances the campus visit experience and demonstrates to visitors that they are a high priority.” 

The building will officially open to visitors with an afternoon information session on February 6. In the meantime, final preparations are underway to prepare for the thousands of visitors who come to campus annually.

Final preparations are underway to ready the Inman ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Welcome Center for visitors.[/caption]Artwork and photos sit ready to be installed on the walls, student workers file paperwork in the Financial Planning Suite and audio visual equipment is being installed and tested in the Clohan Theater and Weisenburger Presentation Room, which will accommodate up to 215 guests.

Architects designed a building that incorporates features common to campus, including brick arches and a cupola, plus brick paths and lush lawns where the Moseley Center parking lot once stood. The center is needed for a campus visit experience that has witnessed exponential growth over the past two decades.

Last year, approximately 12,000 prospective students visited campus. And with strong growth in the number of incoming students from Illinois, Texas and California, plus well-established recruitment territories in the Northeast, a welcome center larger than the previous facilities in the Moseley Center had become a top priority for the university.

ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ tour guides get a first look at the Inman ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Welcome Center.[/caption]​The Inman ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Welcome Center is designed to be an on-campus home for prospective students and families, and a one-stop source for their questions. It’s the “cherry on top” of the existing campus visit experience, said Assistant Dean of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Zaire McCoy.

Melinda Wood, senior associate dean of admissions, served as a liaison between the ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Office and the architects and construction teams. Planning the building from the ground up has created a space perfectly tailored to the needs of prospective students and families, she said.

“It is a historic day not only for our staff, but for ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ as a whole,” she said. “It is a stunning building and far exceeds what I ever could have envisioned.”