On September 10, an oversized red ribbon in front of the University of La Verne’s new Campus Center was cut with oversized scissors, marking the end of the $26.1 million Campus Center Project and the beginning of a whole new future for La Verne.

Even as dignitaries spoke during a grand ceremony outside the three-story, 40,000-square-foot building, the new hub of campus activity hummed inside. Student government officers worked in their first-floor offices. Football players and other students played billiards in the Romero Family Lounge. Others relaxed in front of a flat-screen TV in the Nancy and Jerry Laird Lounge or chatted over food and drink down at Barbara’s Place café.

The five-year vision for a campus center that would serve the university’s students, faculty, staff and guests is now a reality. Set next to the other two components of the Campus Center Project — the outdoor Frank and Nadine Johnson Family Plaza and the renovated Sports Science and Athletics Pavilion — the Campus Center buzzes late into the evening hours. The center of the La Verne campus is now a grand mixing space, just the way the architects drew it up in their plans.

The Campus Center Project was funded entirely by private donations to the university, much of them coming from members of the university’s Board of Trustees, with university faculty and staff composing another large segment of donors.

First, the university’s most unique structure, the space-age looking, multiple-use building called the Supertents, was renovated and transformed into a dedicated sports facility. Interior restructuring increased by 25 percent floor space for classrooms, offices, training rooms and other uses. Since 1974, the Supertents had served the university well, and it received upgrades in several areas to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability.

Second, the area outside the renewed Pavilion’s main entrance was transformed into a terraced, outdoor gathering place, and dubbed the “Frank and Nadine Johnson Family Plaza,” for the generous contribution made by one of the city’s leading families. Each gathering area of the plaza is circular, including the fountain on the top level near a grand oak tree now surrounded by pavers that will soon be etched with the names of donors. On the lower level, another circle comprises a flower garden, which is a colorful focal point of the Plaza.

Finally, construction began on the Campus Center building, with favorable weather over an 18-month stretch allowing for completion on schedule and on budget. The building serves many needs of the campus. On the first floor are offices for student affairs and student government, plus recreation and dining areas. The second floor is home to Admissions offices, classrooms, art gallery space and more lounging and socializing areas. On the third floor, the Ludwick Conference Center can host meetings, luncheons or events with seating up to about 300 people.

The Campus Center Project was the largest segment of the $42 million “Building on Excellence” campaign, which represents the most prolific capital campaign in the 118-year history of the university.

The Building on Excellence Campaign will go beyond enhancing facilities and infrastructure. This bold and progressive undertaking will provide resources and allow the university to continue offering both the education opportunities and the values that help students become upstanding, productive society members.

Along with current and future building projects, areas of specific focus include:

• Upgrading technology and furnishing faculty and students the tools needed to prepare La Verne graduates for future challenges.
• Increasing and encouraging types of research that will affect lives and learning.
• Supporting the university’s commitment to the importance of diversity.
• Supplying vital financial assistance to those seeking to further their education.
• Strengthening commitment and support of the intercollegiate athletic program.
• Expanding the university’s leadership and legacy in the field of education.
• Sustaining the growth and development of the La Verne College of Law.

Through such broad-based development, the Building on Excellence Campaign will allow La Verne to preserve its established values. It will also permit students – including traditional undergraduates and graduates, adult learners, regional campus attendees and online enrollees – to prepare to excel in their chosen fields and make a difference in their communities.