KU Alumni Association
Strategic Facility Planning 2015
The KU Alumni Association celebrated its centennial in 1983 with the completion of the Adams Alumni Center, the first stand-alone headquarters for the organization and a welcoming place for alumni, friends, students, faculty and staff, and the Lawrence community. When the 35,000-square-foot Center opened, the Association maintained the biographical records of 130,000 University of Kansas graduates. Today, the KU alumni family has grown to more than 225,000 graduates and is expected to grow to over 330,000 by 2036.
The Association renovated the Center’s public spaces in 2000 and the third-floor office space in 2001. The projects included cosmetic updates and a reconfiguration of office space to use the existing area more efficiently. Since then, the Association’s programs and staff grown dramatically. In 2005, the Adams Alumni Center hosted 500 events and meetings with 26,500 guests. Today, the Center has re-established itself as a central “hub” on campus, with more than 900 annual events and meetings attracting 50,000 guests.
As we plan the next 30 years, we must consider how building complements the Association’s strategic priorities, accommodates the increased use of technology for daily meetings and special events, and addresses the University’s need for a gateway to the historic Jayhawk Boulevard district of campus, serving visitors, prospective students and their families, current students, faculty and staff, and the local community. The immediate priorities for renovation and expansion of the Center include:
· Accommodate present needs and future growth in programs, staff, and all visitors
· Provide dedicated space for the Student Alumni Association to develop new career programs and expanded areas for Legacy Relations and Homecoming Steering Committee activities
· Showcase the history and traditions of the University of Kansas and the deep commitment of alumni to their alma mater
· Incorporate technology to provide information for visitors that will help them navigate the campus, demonstrate the Association’s impact, highlight KU’s distinctive heritage, and meet the presentation demands of varied academic and professional programs as well as student services
Alumni Association leaders and partners have completed several vital projects to determine future facility needs:
· In 2008, the National Board of Directors assembled a facility study committee consisting of Becky Thomas (Chair), Sue Watson, Jay Howard, Brad Korell, Ray Evans, Melissa Padgett and Jeff Briley, along with Association staff members Kevin Corbett, Bryan Greve, Tim Brandt, and Lorie Worner.
· A survey of alumni associations found that KU has significantly less space serve alumni and the campus community than its peers:
o Kansas State Alumni Association, 55,000 sq. ft. (built in 2001)
o Oklahoma State Alumni Association, 52,000 sq. ft. (built in 2005)
o Texas Exes, 45,000 sq. ft. (built in 1960)
o Missouri Alumni Association, 79,000 sq. ft. (built in 1992)
· After a thorough study of locations and land available on the main campus and west campus, the committee determined that the best option would be expanding on our current site or potentially across the street, on 1.3 acres north of the KU parking garage.
· At our request, our partners at KU Endowment acquired land for a potential expansion; the site was previously deeded to the Kansas Board of Regents. The land acquisition was a key step in expansion viability. This option paves the way for an expansion across the street or in our existing parking lot, if the City of Lawrence chooses to move the water tanks from their current location north of the Alumni Center to the lot across the street.
· The Association engaged Gould Evans Architects to develop several renderings and a proposal for expansion on the existing parking lot. Total cost of construction for an additional 25,000 sq. ft. (total sq ft of 60,000) in 2011 was approximately $11 million. However, with increase in construction costs and inflation, that figure is now likely $13 million to $14 million.
· Most notably, the Association has received a $1.8 million anonymous documented gift to support an expansion that would house increased student programs and services offered through the Student Alumni Association.
· October 7: Heath met with Jim Modig, Dale Seuferling, Theresa Gordzica , Monte Soukup, and Matt Melvin. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss water tank location as the city needs to begin work soon. Details are as follows:
o Cost prohibitive to move tanks and not enough space for two tanks across the street to expand on existing lot. The cost to move one tank to the vacant lot north of the parking garage would be 500,000-1 million. Moving one tank only gains 85 feet of space.
o Decision was made to keep the tank in place, which does not impact Alumni Center expansion opportunities onsite or potentially across the street.
o There was discussion about the need for a new Visitor Center to house 3-4 full-time staff and student ambassadors. The majority of admissions staff would remain at the current facility west of Templin Hall.
o There are some nice synergies with our goals for dedicated student space and a Visitor Center. We agreed to continue discussions as we study our own needs.
Immediate next steps:
· Engage consultants to develop a comprehensive needs assessment for the existing Alumni Center, particularly for deferred maintenance
· Engage KU Endowment partners in a feasibility study determining prospects and range for renovation and expansion
· Assemble a Strategic Planning and Building Committee to study specific needs related to a renovation and the viability of a possible expansion. The group also will explore potential partnerships with the University (i.e. Visitor Center)