Erickson Enrollment Center to Open This Fall

By Doug Goodnough—
Special to the Daily Telegram

Siena Heights University will have a new “front door” to its Adrian campus beginning this fall.

The university is converting its former nursing building into the Patricia A. Erickson Enrollment and Welcome Center. Once completed, the more than $700,000 in renovations will house the university’s enrollment and financial aid operations.

“This is a great opportunity to bring many of our primary enrollment functions all under one roof,” said SHU Vice President of Enrollment Management George Wolf. “Our current Office of Undergraduate Admissions, as well as many of our Graduate and Professional Enrollment personnel, will be able to utilize a state-of-the-art facility and make our recruitment operation even more efficient. And the fact that our Financial Aid Office will also be there gives us a ‘one-stop shop’ for prospective and current students and parents.”

“This opportunity came about with the completion of the McLaughlin Health Services Building last year,” said SHU President Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD. “The renovation of the former St. Joseph Academy building allowed us to move the Nursing Division into a fabulous new learning environment. And thanks to a generous gift from a donor, we are able to re-imagine our enrollment operation with the renovation of the former nursing building.”

Currently, the Admissions and GPE enrollment operations are located in Ledwidge Hall, which is in the center of campus and can be difficult to locate from Siena Heights Drive. Wolf said the new location on the east edge of campus will allow prospective students and parents easy access to Admissions and enrollment staff. And the new space will also help adhere to social distancing guidelines that must be followed during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Renovations are expected to be completed in late August, with the center expected to be open to the public some time in September. The renovated space will include offices, conference spaces and an innovative multi-purpose technology classroom that can be used for a variety of functions, Wolf said.

“We are so grateful for the continued generosity of our donors,” President Albert said. “These types of improvements will allow the university to move forward in new and exciting ways. This center will certainly make a great first impression for those visiting our campus.”

Classes began on the Adrian campus Aug. 25.