Campaign Creates New Campus Front Door

Just three weeks after opening the new Soults Family Visitor Center in the Memorial Union, the Office of Admissions could already see an improvement over their previous means of welcoming future Iowa Staters to campus.

Prospective students, their families and the Office of Admissions are already utilizing the Soults Family Visitor Center.

"This facility has the singular purpose of recruiting students and their families to Iowa State," said Kristin Chapman, program coordinator in the Office of Admissions. "Before, when we were in the Enrollment Services Center (formerly Alumni Hall), there were a lot of other activities going on in the building. Those activities detracted from the hospitality we could provide prospective students."

That isn’t the case in the Soults Family Visitor Center. The new $1 million facility creates an unforgettable first impression for the thousands of potential students and their families who come annually to campus.

"Now we can focus solely on the needs of our guests," Chapman said, "and they get an immediate exposure to campus here in the Memorial Union."

"We wanted to provide the most welcoming and impressive first ‘look’ for our future students and their families," said Marc Harding, director of enrollment services. "Since the Soults Family Visitor Center is located in the Memorial Union, our guests are able to experience the energy and synergy of students, faculty and staff right away."

The new facility was dedicated in April 2009 and opened in mid-May. Some of the highlights of the new campus "front door" include a 90-seat presentation room that houses large flat screen monitors, computer stations, and sophisticated lighting and sound systems. A reception area and lounge accommodates up to 30 people and allows space for admissions staff members to visit with recruits and their families.

The Soults Family Visitor Center was funded in part by a lead gift from Don Soults (’61 B.S. and ’68 Ph.D., statistics) of Vienna, Va. The gift creating the facility is part of Campaign Iowa State: With Pride and Purpose, the university’s $800 million fundraising effort.

Soults became interested in the project while his son, D.J. — now a sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering at Iowa State — was considering which college he would attend. "I was impressed with recruitment at Iowa State, with both the materials they were sending out and their persistence," Don said. "I thought this new welcome center would be a wonderful keystone for the university’s expanding recruitment programs."

"Thanks to the leadership and wonderful generosity of Don and his family," President Gregory L. Geoffroy said during the April dedication ceremonies, "now when prospective students and their families visit Iowa State, they will have a truly memorable experience from beginning to end."

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