Purdue News

February 20, 1998

Alumni association to renovate, consolidate offices

The project will create additional space for the alumni association in the Purdue Memorial Union and allow the record-keeping staff to move to the Union from the ground floor of Stewart Center.

"For years, we have talked about the benefits of having everyone in the same building and in the same general vicinity," said Lawrence S. Preo, executive director of the alumni association. "We started conversations with the university about changing our current office structure. We also investigated the possibility of building our own alumni house. In the end, we concluded that the Purdue Memorial Union was the perfect spot for the Purdue Alumni Association."

The entire renovation project is being funded by the alumni association from its reserve funds. The Purdue Alumni Association is not part of the university and pays rent for space in the Union.

The renovation will close the adjacent Union Gallery, one of four art galleries on campus, in May, said Union Director Robert L. Mindrum, but he and the Purdue Student Union Board are looking at other ways of presenting cultural and artistic works in the Union. "We would particularly like to see more student-oriented art displays in the lounges or other public areas," Mindrum said.

Mindrum said he is pleased that the alumni association will consolidate its operations in the Union. "I've been a firm believer that student unions and alumni associations should have a close working relationship," he said. "They belong together."

The renovation is scheduled to begin after commencement. The 3,701 square feet on the west side of the main floor of the Union will be completed by the Oct. 23-24 Homecoming Weekend. Alumni association staff members will be relocated during the renovation to the Union Browsing Library on the main floor and other locations in the Union. When this first phase is completed, the offices will house all alumni association operations except the records department.

The renovation on the east side of the hallway will begin in November. The records department will move into the 953-square-foot space when it is completed in January.

CONTACTS: Preo, (765) 494-5175; Mindrum, (765) 494-8901

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu

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