Opened in August of 2014, the O’Roark Nordstrom Welcome Center serves as a true front door for the campus. Complete with welcoming rocking chairs on the front porch, this building houses the Admission and Financial Aid Offices.
Jeanne O’Roark (Class of 1970) married billionaire Bruce Nordstrom, of Nordstrom’s Department Store, in 1988. They have been long-term supporters of the school as part of their passion for service and philanthropy.
Most of the rooms and offices in this building feature historical photographs celebrating the history of the college, chosen from the archives by Brett Miller, class of 2006. In addition there are several black and white campus photographs by Ethan Butler, class of 2014. Furniture updates have been made possible through the generous donations from the Emeritus Club.
(2013) Welcome Center Prospectus [Welcome Center Final 7.9.2013], which includes an architectural drawing by architect Bryson Van Nostrand.
(2013) Nordstrom Welcome Center to be Next major Construction Project [Emeritus Club Newsletter 2013-12, p.2] Wesleyan has begun site preparation for the new Nordstrom Welcome Center. Thanks to a generous gift from Bruce and Jeannie O’Rourke Nordstrom ’70 and a challenge grant from the Reeves Foundation of Princeton, NJ, the Nordstrom Welcome Center is set to open this summer on College Avenue adjacent to the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts. ~ The new facility will house the College’s admission and financial aid departments. The additionof this project will create much needed space in Middleton Hall for Wesleyan’s expanding School of Health Sciences, Athletic Training, exercise science, and nursing are three of the College’s most popular majors. Nursing enrollment has grown to 143 students and the department now offers a range of graduate programs. This is the third challenge grant Wesleyan has received from the Reeves Foundation. The previous awards helped complete the funding for the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts and the David E. Reemsnyder Research Center. “We are extremely grateful to Bruce and Jeannie and to the Reeves Foundation for their generous support,” stated Wesleyan President Pamela Balch ’71. “This project has been a long-time priority in our Master Campus Facilities plan. The Center will allow Wesleyan to create a tremendous first impression for our prospective students and their parents.”
(2014) Nordstrom Welcome Center Under Construction, by Shallyn Cochran and Sina Choi. [Pharos 2014-03-31, p.1] Thanks to Bruce and Jeannie O’Roark, Nordstrom ’70, and the Reeves Foundation of Princeton, NJ, we are getting a new addition here at Wesleyan. You may have noticed the construction going on across the street from the WVWC welcome sign near the Virginia Thomas Law Center for Performing Arts. Most students thought it was just another house or unnamed business but it is going to be a huge benefactor at Wesleyan. The Nordstrom Welcome Center will house the admissions and financial aid offices therefore allowing much needed space to become available in Middleton Hall. ~ The number of visitors to West Virginia Wesleyan College has increased as of late, so a new welcome center is necessary to accomodate these visitors. In addition, the two offices housed in the Nordstrom Welcome Center work closely to recruit and enroll students at Wesleyan. College officials anticipate that the new welcome center will make prospective students feel familiar and friendly with the school, and welcome families to the campus and provide them with an engaging experience. ~ School officials anticipate construction on the Nordstrom Welcome Center to be complete by August 2014.
(2014) Wesleyan Campus Under Construction [Emeritus Club Newsletter 2014-06, p.4] In August, Wesleyan will open the new O’Roark Nordstrom Welcome Center on College Avenue with a gift made possible from Bruce and Jeanne O’Roark Nordstron ’70 and the Reeves Foundation of Princeton, NJ. The Center will be the home of the College’s Admission and Financial Aid Offices. The facility is the fourth new building to be constructed on the campus in the past eight years. It will join the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts, the David E. Reemsnyder Research Center, and Dunn Residence Hall.