A Beacon of
Hospitality
Y
ou feel butterflies in your stomach as you get closer. “University of Mary, 6 Miles,” the sign reads. You can see the campus in the distance. “University of Mary, 2 Miles.” You start to drive up the hill. You’re a senior in high school, and the University of Mary is your first choice for college. As you reach the top of the hill, you read your emailed instructions for how to get to the admissions office for your official tour. There isn’t much signage, so you miss the first two turns. The third one it is. As you pull onto campus, you see some signs. Admissions points to the left, so you take that road, which
10
Momentum
| Vision 2030
seems to be what your instructions tell you. You see a building — is that where you are supposed to go? You pull up and walk in, to find out you are at Annunciation Monastery. The Sisters point you to a larger building just down the road. You’re not sure where to park, so you pick a spot and walk into the building. Now what? You find a TV that has a map that points you around the corner, down the stairs, and into the lower level, where the smiling faces of the admissions team greet you, and you are relieved that you are finally there. This difficult navigation is one that many of our potential students and their families have the first time
they visit the University of Mary, but not for much longer. One of the pillars of Phase II of Vision 2030 is a welcome center, a “One Stop Shop for Student Services.” As one of the first buildings you encounter upon arriving on campus, the welcome center will serve as an introduction to the Mary community for prospective students and parents touring campus for the first time. First and foremost, the center will shower prospective students with Benedictine hospitality by providing access to all the necessary offices to have a strong first impression of the University of Mary. The welcome center will be the starting point
