Betsy Carreno
Contributing Writer
The Killips Welcome Center that was announced during President Glena Temple’s inauguration speech is soon to be completed by the beginning of 2023.
Before Temple’s inauguration earlier this year, she thought of the idea of creating a Welcome Center at the entrance of Lewis Hall.
The decision to transform the entrance of Lewis Hall into an official Welcome Center was made once the space opened in the building after Temple moved the President’s Office to Parmer Hall.
“The move of the President’s Office made the space available, as this (Lewis Hall) is the ‘front door’ to our campus and the logical space to welcome visitors,” Temple said.
The concept of the Welcome Center would be to be able to give a more welcoming vibe to everyone who visits DU. Once inside the Center, there will be information available about Dominican life, its welcomeness and its staff.
Funding for the Welcome Center will be provided by outside resources.
“The majority of the cost of the Welcome Center project was funded through benefactors – and the space will be named for Cindy and Kevin Killips, who are providing generous support for the project,” Temple said.
According to the university, the couple are alumni. Kevin Killips has served on the Board of Trustee since 2004, with six years as chairman. He also led the recent Presidential Search Committee. Cindy Gizzo-Killips is a retired educator. The couple were married in Rosary Chapel 25 years ago.
In recent years, students, faculty, staff and visitors have expressed concerns over the lack of accessibility in the former entrance of Lewis Hall.
“I know this is important to address to serve our students, employees and visitors, and we will continue to move forward in making improvements as we are able to,” Temple said.
Other costs, like making the entrance to the center compatible with the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design, will be funded by money the university received from selling the former Priory campus.
“We hope to improve accessibility across campus, as we renovate and have the resources to do so. In these beautiful old buildings, it is a significant project and, in some spaces, it is difficult to identify solutions within the available footprint,” Temple said.
The president also expressed her excitement over the creation of the Welcome Center saying, “I was excited about this addition to Dominican because I was able to see the impact this space made at my last institution.”
