Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center
to open Saturday during Homecoming

by Joe King

NIU will throw open its new front door to the world Saturday, Oct. 15, when it dedicates the Barsema Alumni and Visitors Center during Homecoming festivities.

“This building is nothing short of spectacular,” said NIU President John Peters. “Dennis and Stacey Barsema, Ruth Pollack and the more than 2,000 other donors who so graciously and generously supported this project have created a new gateway to the university, one that makes us all proud. It is a first-class facility befitting of an outstanding institution such as NIU.”

The 40,000-square-foot building, located at the corner of Annie Glidden Road and Stadium Drive, will play host to a donors-only reception Friday, Oct. 14. It will open to the general public at 11 a.m. on Homecoming Saturday, and formal dedication ceremonies will take place at 12:30 p.m.

Visitors at those events will have an opportunity to tour the facility, which includes:

• A faculty library
• A ballroom
• Conference and meeting rooms
• A patio and sculpture garden
• Offices for the NIU Alumni Association and the NIU Office of Alumni Relations

The centerpiece of the new building, however, is the central hall.

Flooded with natural light from the dramatic three-story glass ceiling, the hall is lined with display cases that will highlight the accomplishments of NIU alumni. The hall is also home to a permanent display of plaques honoring faculty who have earned the university's highest honors for teaching and research.

“Our dream, when we began contemplating this project several years ago, was to create a building that would celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty and alumni to introduce our future alumni to that tradition. We hope prospective students walk out of here thinking that this is a university they want to be a part of, and that alumni leave feeling that NIU is an institution worthy of their support,” said Michael P. Malone, NIU vice president for advancement and development and interim executive director for alumni relations.

The BAVC, which cost just more than $6 million to build, was financed entirely through private donations. Ground was broken last fall during Homecoming and proceeded quickly.

“It was a very smooth process, thanks to the support we received from across the entire campus,” said Joe Matty, who oversaw the project for the Alumni Association. Supervising the work for Finance and Facilities was Pat Bell.

The finished product, said Malone, has more than lived up to the hopes of those behind the project. “It's one of those rare occasions when the reality is even more breathtaking than the vision,” he said, “and this was a big vision.”

The center will be closed during Saturday's football game but will re-open immediately afterward, offering snacks, drinks and a chance to view a live broadcast of Coach Joe Novak's post game press conference. The NIU Alumni Association is hoping that the event, billed as “The Fifth Quarter,” will become a new Huskie tradition.

10-10-05