Dear University Community,
UMSL Facilities Management continues to move our Transform UMSL initiatives forward as we reimagine and redefine our campus footprint through targeted investments. We have posted an updated Project Report to share our progress and timeline.
Last week, a crowd of more than 200 faculty, staff, alumni, students and supporters gathered in Alumni Circle to mark the start of construction on the new Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center. The new 31,000-square-foot center will connect to the J.C. Penney Conference Center and is intended to serve as the gateway to UMSL for prospective students and their families while also providing a permanent home for the university’s more than 112,000 alumni.
The event signaled the kickoff of this exciting project which is part of our larger Transform UMSL plan. It also served as an opportunity to honor the memory of the late Kirk Richter, and express gratitude to his family for helping to make this new home for current, former, and future UMSL students a reality.
Please note that we have placed a fenced perimeter around the south section of the JC Penney Building as we expect to begin demolition later this month. The north JC Penney Building remains accessible through the northeast and northwest entrances as well as the loading dock to access print and mail services.
The center will be a place to launch campus tours for prospective students and will be home to the Office of Admissions. It will also house the UMSL Alumni Association and Office of Alumni Engagement, providing space for alumni to network with each other and also interact with students eager to join their ranks.
Architects from the Lamar Johnson Collaborative provided the design for the new center, which has a $16.5 million fundraising goal. To date, UMSL alumni and donors – including the Richters and Terry and Stan Freerks – have contributed $9.1 million toward the project. The university is also directing $4.3 million from the $40 million in appropriations it received through the American Rescue Plan Act for its construction. UMSL is continuing to raise donations to support the remainder of the project.
You can follow our progress and timelines by downloading our monthly Transform UMSL Project Report. Feel to reach out to us with any questions during this exciting time of transformation at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
Sincerely,
UMSL Facilities Management
