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

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Starts Construction on Healthcare Education Hub

    California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., recently announced that work has begun on a renovation project that will turn the Stewart Building into a new Healthcare Education Hub, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction Inc. for construction services.

  • How Proactive Maintenance Can Transform Athletic Facilities into Strategic Assets for College Sports

    College athletics is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history. With NIL reshaping financial models and competitive expectations, athletic departments across the country are being asked to do more than ever with increasingly constrained resources.