A new welcome for future Wildcats
By Kendall Sternberg, University Marketing and Communications
The auditorium inside the new Wildcat Welcome Center provides a location for presentations and gatherings. The accessible space is part of the center’s design to welcome prospective students and families and introduce them to the U of A community.
Drew Bourland/University Marketing and Communications
For prospective students and their families, a first visit to the University of Arizona can shape their perception of what life as a Wildcat could look like.
A space near the center's entrance allows families to gather and mingle ahead of campus tours.
Drew Bourland/University Marketing and Communications
The new Wildcat Welcome Center, which opened last week at the Student Union Memorial Center, is designed to serve as a welcoming front door to the university, giving prospective students and their families an inviting experience that connects them with the university community.
"The opening of this new space signals the deep commitment of the U of A community to students as the North Star," said Kristina Wong Davis, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admission. "It takes the entire campus community to enroll students, and the Wildcat Welcome Center enables our students and families to experience that Bear Down spirit."
Project beginnings
The work began when Enrollment Management identified a need for a more centralized and welcoming space for prospective students and their families.
The Wildcat Welcome Center is located in the Student Union Memorial Center across from the Campus Store.
Drew Bourland/University Marketing and Communications
“For years, our admissions team has been confident that the University of Arizona is a great fit for so many students and families, but we didn't always have the space or visit experience to back that up,” said Mary Venezia, associate dean of undergraduate admissions in Admissions and New Student Enrollment.
Venezia said the Wildcat Welcome Center gives prospective students and their families a place to learn about academic programs and student services, connect with university representatives and prepare for their campus visit. The center also gives visitors an opportunity to get a feel for campus and picture themselves as Wildcats.
Bringing the space from concept to completion in less than a year took a team of University Facility Services project managers, designers, architects, contractors and campus partners who worked together to make the new center a reality.
Drew Lutz, a construction project manager with UFS, helped oversee construction, coordinating finances, deliveries, contractors and the impact of construction on the Student Union and surrounding campus.
“For me, it’s the teamwork that made this project so memorable,” said Roel Krabbendam, an architect and project manager with UFS. “I’ve truly, truly enjoyed working with my UFS colleagues, but also the coordination with Enrollment Management, Student Unions, the architect, the contractor – everyone has really been on the same page.”
Krabbendam said he was developing initial concepts in November 2025. By February, approvals, funding and contracts were in place. Construction began in March, and the Wildcat Welcome Center opened in September.
“That’s light-speed,” Lutz said. “It took a lot of coordination from a lot of people to get us here by September.”
The team also had to balance construction with the ongoing activities at the Student Union. At times, contractors worked overnight to avoid disrupting scheduled events and other campus activities.
A desert landscape-themed mural brings the character of Southern Arizona into the Wildcat Welcome Center. The artwork is one of several visual elements designed to connect visitors with the Tucson community.
Drew Bourland/University Marketing and Communications
From construction to connection
The project revitalized a previously underused location in the heart of campus and incorporates features intended to introduce visitors to both the university and Southern Arizona.
Two murals by local artist Jessica Gonzalez depict the Sonoran Desert and Catalina Mountains while reflecting the energy of the university community and connecting the space to the Southern Arizona landscape.
Accessibility was also a priority. The Disability Resource Center was involved early in the process, helping the team consider accessibility features including wide aisles and audio reinforcement. The design also includes comfortable furniture, refreshments and a spacious area where guests can gather before campus tours.
“It’s not just about what they’re going to see, but really what they’re going to experience,” Krabbendam said. “I really think it’s going to feel like an embrace.”
The finished product
With the project completed, and the Wildcat Welcome Center ready to take in visitors, Lutz said the facility itself is only part of what makes him proud of the work.
The center has open spaces for high school groups to gather for workshops to learn about academic programs, financial aid, student life, the application process and more.
Drew Bourland/University Marketing and Communications
“The longer you do this, the more you realize it’s really the team that gets us there,” Lutz said. “It’s all of us working together, reaching out to people to help you solve problems and everyone coming to the table and helping the project get finished. It’s not one person. It’s everybody.”
For Krabbendam, that collective effort is visible in the finished space – and in the experience the team hopes it creates.
“I want them to feel that welcome,” he said. “I want them to feel that commitment to their success. I hope they catch the excitement of joining this community.”
Employees and other members of the university community are encouraged to let prospective students and their families know about the Wildcat Welcome Center, which is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Read more about the center and view a photo gallery in a story posted on the university's news website.