Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

ISU Breaks Ground on New Alumni Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 07/15/21

Officials gathered last week on the campus of Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, to break ground on a new alumni center. Representatives of the university and the Idaho Central Credit Union (ICCU), a donor for the project, met on July 8 to mark the first step of construction of the ICCU Bengal Alumni Center. The building will be the first addition to the campus in 20 years.

ISU President Kevin Satterlee spoke before the ceremony about the need for an on-campus gathering space for students and alumni alike. “This center means more than all of those parts and those pieces when they come together, because this center means we are again demonstrating to our community that we are investing in the future of this university,” he said.

The new facility measures in at 26,281 square feet, and it has been in the planning stages for more than 20 years. The project has remained in limbo for so long because of its price tag: $11.5 million. Alumni and donors worked for years to raise the private funds. In 2017, late alumnus Jack R. Wheatley jump-started the project with a $2 million contribution. Officials have raised another $6 million since then, including $1.5 million from the Idaho Central Credit Union.

The facility will also serve as an events center, contain meeting and board rooms, and feature displays honoring alumni. Construction is scheduled for completion by spring 2023.

“Today, this event marks the first official groundbreaking ceremony for a new building on this campus in more than a decade,” said Satterlee. “This Idaho State University alumni center will serve as the new hub on this campus where we will greet Bengali on their return home, provide a meeting place for our alumni and host our community to bring them to events and events on our campus. It will serve as the home for many key operations and will be a welcome new place for all new Bengali to join our family. That means this facility for the future of Idaho State University.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • blurry image capturing students navigating crowded hallways between classes

    How Human Behavior Data Is Reshaping Campus Facilities Management

    The ebb and flow of students, faculty, and administrators across a campus have a larger impact on maintenance, cleaning, and sustainability than many realize.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.