Kutztown University breaks ground on welcome center
Facility will be used to great prospective students, families
Students scouting out Kutztown University will soon have a new spot to start their visits.
The university has broken ground on an admissions welcome center, a facility that will be used to greet prospective students and their families.
The welcome center is being created through a renovation of the university’s Poplar House at the entrance to campus at Kutztown Road and College Boulevard. Popular House will receive a full makeover as part of the project, as well as a 10,300-squarefoot addition.
The addition will include a lobby and gathering space, a reception desk and information counter with interactive displays and kiosks, a large multipurpose room, a catering kitchen, offices for admissions staff and a lounge for student tour guides. The facility will also include state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air conditioning; lighting; and audio-visual features.
The center is expected to open in the spring 2025.
“We are pleased to see construction begin on our new admissions welcome center after so many years of planning,” university President Kenneth S. Hawkinson said in a statement announcing the groundbreaking. “We envisioned this as a gateway to our campus where prospective students and their parents could be welcomed in a comfortable environment and receive all the pertinent information on Kutztown University before embarking on tours of our wonderful campus. We are particularly pleased that once again, we are able to
honor our past by including the historic Poplar House as part of the overall construction, while fulfilling the needs of our future.”
Learie Nurse, vice president for enrollment management and student affairs, said the welcome center is a strategic investment that reinforces the university’s vision for the future.
“This new facility will enhance organizational efficiency within the admissions department and will further promote collaborative efforts across the university and within the community,” she said. “It will be the gateway that
welcomes prospective students and their families into Kutztown University and allow them to experience all the beautiful things that Kutztown University has to offer. I am delighted and excited to be a part of something so special that will serve generations to come.”
The Poplar House dates to 1892, when it was constructed by the Kutz family. It was moved about 140 feet to its current location in 1937.
Over the years, the Poplar House has been used for student and faculty housing. It was last occupied in the early 2000s.