A Beacon of Hospitality

You 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 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 for all campus tours and home to Admissions, the Alumni Office, Military Services, Residence Life, and Financial Aid and Student Accounts.

“We know that finding our admissions office and the services our students and families need can be difficult with the current location,” said Brenda Nagel, vice president for public affairs. “Putting all of these services and offices in a central location on campus will exude hospitality the moment one drives onto campus.”

The proposed welcome center addition on the east side of the Benedictine Center for Servant Leadership will be the beginning point of prospective students’ time on campus and will help the guest experience a sense of place. The south entrance of campus will be designated as the main entrance, and with a “re-ordering” of roadways, the new arrival will be naturally directed to the front door of the welcome center.

Even as the University of Mary has seen great growth over the years, today’s environment of higher education has never been more competitive. We are not only competing regionally, but nationally to attract and retain students. Currently, it can be a challenge for a prospective student to find our admissions department. Since the Benedictine Center for Servant Leadership was originally the first monastery for our founding Sisters, the front entrance faced away from the city, an intentional design to make a very Christian statement — the Sisters knew they were in the world but not of the world.

As we continue to bring Benedictine hospitality into all that we do, the completion of the new welcome center will achieve a warmth of welcome that will allow us to continue to grow and show true Benedictine hospitality to all our students and guests.

“Building on the Benedictine value of hospitality, this new welcome center allows the University of Mary to display a true warmth of welcome to our students, alumni, friends, and donors,” Nagel said. “The Sisters are and were known for their ability to create a spirit of place and make guests feel welcome. This main location allows us to build on their legacy to ‘receive all as Christ.’”

We are ready to break ground on the welcome center as soon as fundraising is complete. If you are interested in learning more about the welcome center or Vision 2030, visit umary.edu/Vision2030.