In a ceremony during halftime of the Bulldog football game on Saturday, Nov. 5, President Michael Schneider and his guests “broke ground” to signal the beginning of the Campus Commons building. With its location on Kansas Avenue, the Campus Commons will create a symbolic new “front door” for the campus.
Others participating in the groundbreaking ceremony included California philanthropists Richard and Melanie Lundquist, who announced on Friday, Nov. 4 that in addition to their initial gift of $25 million made last May, they would be donating another $25 million to the college.
The Campus Commons grew out of McPherson College’s Community by Design strategic plan is the culmination of input from students, faculty, staff, and board of trustees over several years. It will serve as the heart of student life on campus providing a one-stop-shop for enrollment and student services. It will feature a welcome center for prospective students and special events; dining and casual meeting spaces; collaboration spaces and offices; and the Dalke Center for Career and Experiential Learning. The 55,000-square-foot Commons will provide for the college’s growing physical needs. Construction of the new building is expected to begin in the spring.
The groundbreaking comes one day after the college announced a historic commitment of $500 million to its endowment. Over time, the anonymous double-match estate commitment will allow the college to reimagine and reinvent its campus while it pursues initiatives that enhance the student experience including continuation of the Student Debt Project, a new campus master plan, and development of the Kansas Center for Rural & Community Health Science and the National Center for the Future of Engineering, Design & Mobility. Information about this transformational commitment is at mcpherson.edu/500match.