Elon breaks ground on new admissions center

The campus community gathered Friday for the ceremonial groundbreaking of an admissions welcome center that will introduce thousands of prospective students each year to the opportunities and benefits of an Elon University education.

Named for trustee William J. Inman and his wife, Patricia “Pat” Inman, the Inman Admissions Welcome Center groundbreaking brought together under a bright autumn morning dozens of administrators, trustees, students, professors and staff.

“The Inman Admissions Welcome Center will be the front door to Elon University, a place where high school students will begin their path to becoming proud Elon alumni,” said Greg Zaiser, the university’s vice president of admissions and financial planning.

Once complete, the two-story, 32,000-square-foot building will complete a landscaped quadrangle formed by the admissions center, Moseley Center, Belk Library and North O’Kelly Avenue. It will house under one roof admissions staff, financial planning staff and welcome center staff, with a two-story lobby and atrium, conference rooms, two presentation theaters and office suites.

Architects designed a building that incorporates features common to campus, including brick arches and a cupola, plus brick paths and lush lawns where the Moseley Center parking lot once stood. A smaller parking lot is planned for the space between the new welcome center and the Greek housing in Loy Center.

The center is needed for a campus visit experience that has witnessed exponential growth over the past two decades. When Zaiser first started his career in admissions at Elon, staff members were able to meet one-on-one with each prospective student visitor, he said.

Last year, nearly 11,000 prospective students visited campus. And with strong growth in the number of incoming students from Illinois, Texas and California, plus well-established recruitment territories in the Northeast, a welcome center larger than what exists inside the Moseley Center had become a top priority for the university.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been a part of ‘the beginning,’ and we’re going to be a part of that beginning again with this admissions center,” Pat Inman said shortly after the groundbreaking. “It will be a very welcoming space that reflects all of the progress Elon has made.”

The Inmans have been longtime supporters of Elon. The experiences of their daughter, Jacklyn Inman ‘00, inspired their continued involvement at the university. In addition to annual contributions for the university’s greatest needs and the Phoenix Club, the Inmans have supported construction of Rhodes Stadium, the Koury Business Center, the Numen Lumen Pavilion and Lindner Hall.

The atrium in the Koury Business Center is named in their honor, as is the Inman Reading Room on the first floor of Lindner Hall in the Academic Village.

“What a legacy of support, Bill and Pat!” Elon University President Leo M. Lambert said in his welcoming remarks. “We thank you for everything you’ve done for this university.”

Lambert recognized others at the ceremony whose support has been vital in funding the welcome center and developing the university’s admissions office, including Zaiser’s two predecessors, Nan Perkins and Susan Klopman. Also present were benefactors John R. Hill ‘76, Andrew and Stacy K. Fox, and Clayton and Beverly Hollis, whose daughter, Jill, is a staff member in the Office of Alumni Engagement.  

Lambert saluted several campus tour guides wearing distinctive maroon shirts.

“The human touch is really important as well,” he said of the positive impression tour guides leave on campus visitors. “It’s not only the building, it’s the people who convey the Elon touch to prospective families.”

The following donors were listed in the ceremony program for generosity that makes possible the Inman Admissions Welcome Center:

William J. and Patricia K. Inman
Samuel L. and Kelly D. Burke
Cannon Foundation, Inc.
Robert A. Clohan
H. Andrew and Stacy K. Fox
William T. and Julie W. Heflin
John R. and Lesley W. Hill
M. Clayton and Beverly D. Hollis
Thomas P. and Sarah Mac Mahon
Anthony L. and Sarah H. Menchaca
James R. and Tracey W. Nugent
Jay B. and Daphne H. Shipowitz
J. Carlton and Jane V. Showalter
John A. and Joy T. Tricoli
William T. and Susan V. Tucker
Edward K. Walker
Randall J. and Catherine P. Weisenburger