Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center Grand Opening On October 24

A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the University of Wyoming’s new Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center is scheduled Friday, Oct. 24, at 11 a.m.

The event is the first opportunity for the public to visit the university’s welcoming center at the corner of 22nd and Grand Avenue. Ample parking is available in the War Memorial Stadium parking lot to the north of the Gateway Center.

Funded entirely through private support, the 67,000-square-foot facility will be home to the UW Alumni Association, the UW Office of Admissions, UW’s Center for Advising and Career Services, and the UW Foundation. It features state-of-the-art technological infrastructure, including video and digital displays, and 10 video-conferencing-equipped career recruiting interview rooms.

Among those scheduled to speak at the grand opening are Gov. Matt Mead, former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, UW Foundation President Ben Blalock, UW Foundation Board Chair Scott Neu, UW Foundation Board Vice Chair April Brimmer Kunz and contributor Mick McMurry. The event will include recognition of donors, including Marian H. Rochelle -- whose support of the facility totals just over $12 million -- and Mick and Susie McMurry -- who gave $6 million through the McMurry Foundation to support the Grand Atrium and UW Legacy Hall.

UW Foundation President Ben Blalock says that the process to build the facility went quite quickly.

“The total project from the beginning of fundraising to the actual entrance into the building is just under 26 months,” says Blalock. “It has had stunning momentum, over the top philanthropy and generosity—a sense that folks have truly embraced the vision behind the building.”

Among other uses, the facility is a place for prospective students and families to enter the university, for gatherings of current students, for alumni to arrive, and for employers to interview and recruit UW students.

For more about the Gateway Center, go to www.uwyo.edu/uwyo/features/gateway-center.html.