Just as MSU opened its doors the first week of class for the fall semester, the Department of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management opened a new Welcome Center to attract potential students to the university.

“We wanted something more accommodating and intimate to make students feel welcomed,” Administrative Assistant of Admissions Angela Kruse said.

The new center located in Hardin South past the financial aid office has two flat-screen TVs to display information and a custom-made wall mount of the MSU Mustangs. It is the first impression potential MSU students make of the university and it is the new starting point for campus tours.

“The Board of Regents approved the proposal in February and the budget for the facility was $125,000,” Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Keith Lamb said.

The university started planning the project as early as last fall, and the funds were acquired  from a gift given to MSU.

“Many years ago the Redwine family gave a significant amount of money to the university, and we used part of those funds for the new Welcome Center,” Lamb said.

Tarleton State recently opened a welcome center with similar features. It includes a presentation room, historical exhibits, and a computer lab.

“Several other schools that are the same size as MSU have welcoming centers, and the facility provides a better environment for prospective students and parents to feel welcomed,” Assistant Director of Admissions Valerie Martinez said.

Martinez was given the role of designing and decorating the Welcome Center. Although the center has already opened its doors, the Department of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management plans to add more features.

“We will be decorating the bare walls by mounting artwork that represents the university and photos of the campus,” Martinez said. “We plan to eventually provide personalized messages for visiting students on the TV screens.”

With enrollment numbers remaining flat, it is vital for MSU to stay relevant and innovative like other universities.

“Our ultimate goal is to increase enrollment each year,” Lamb said. “We are aggressively direct marketing the high school students from Lubbock, Dallas, Austin and other close cities.”

First impressions are very important when making an initial connection with prospective students. Previously, visitors would meet in the outdated hallway of Hardin in front of the admission’s office.

“It was not very welcoming,” Lamb said.

The facility is so new that it has not received much feedback from students.

However, quite a few students come through the center and it gets a lot of student traffic, Kruse said.

Although the Department of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management hopes to attract new students to MSU with the new Welcoming Center, some students did not mind the original starting point found in the admission’s office in Hardin.

“I have not been to the new Welcome Center yet, but the tour solidified my decision to attend MSU,” Reba Brown, junior in psychology, said. “I cannot imagine going to a school anywhere else.”

The Welcome Center offers tours year around and will have “Midwestern by Moonlight” in the future to show off the campus during the evenings.