The University of New Mexico’s Lobo Welcome Center is officially open

Alumni, faculty, staff and government officials celebrated the opening of The University of New Mexico Lobo Welcome Center.

The newly-renovated building will serve as the first impression of UNM to future Lobos. Sporting UNM's classic adobe walls and etched wooden pillars- the building seamlessly blends into historic architecture on campus, and will give potential students a glimpse of UNM's flourishing campus life.

"Every year thousands of potential students interested in The University of New Mexico, from New Mexico and beyond, come here and think about if this is the place for them. This is the kind of facility that will be their starting point, their launching point to come in and start to discover, 'is The University of New Mexico the right educational environment for me to start my journey to higher learning,'" University Provost James Holloway said during his opening remarks.

The purpose of the welcome center is to create a positive experience for prospective students and their families.

"It's the start of our campus tour and it's the end of our campus tour," Dan Garcia, vice president for Enrollment Management, said. "It provides a nice visual representation to our exhibits and displays of who we are and our history, with a focus on academics and academic qualities of the institution for students and their families."

Discussion of an admissions focused welcome center have been ongoing for many years. Until recently families and visiting groups would start their UNM tour on south campus at the Student Support & Services Center where they would watch a presentation and then ride a bus to campus. The disconnection made it harder to help prospective students connect with UNM.

In 2021 some Enrollment Management staff moved to office space in the Student Union Building, where many recruitment events are held-making a smoother experience for visitors coming to the heart of the UNM campus, but the new space offers a "whole new level" to the campus experience, Garcia said.

"For this project there have been many updates and improvements all while keeping the character and key historical elements," Garcia said. "This renovation and the impressive results were made possible by a combination of legislative appropriation and institutional bond funding."

The renovation and new addition includes a large presentation room, exhibit hall, terrace, a dedicated lactation room for nursing parents, and several office spaces. The center also boasts a lounge area and photo gallery where families can rest comfortably before beginning their campus tours. Each space is complete with UNM's signature cherry, silver and turquoise coloring. The exhibit hall features displays designed to excite future Lobos about campus events and research, as well as Lobo Vision, an interactive screen where visitors can explore campus culture and take selfies with Lobo Louie. There's even a real Formula SAE race car built by students in the Lobo Motorsports program.

The renovated building will help the University attract new students from around the country.It was designed to meet the needs of a modern university admissions welcome center while respecting the historic aesthetic of the building.

"This building is a quintessential representation of UNM and it's the perfect combination of our historic roots and the vision and energy propelling the University forward," Ethan Rule, director of UNM Marketing, said. "The building is beautiful in terms of its historic nature and architecture and it brings with it a lot of modern elements that many students will see before choosing to spend several years of their lives at UNM."

The Lobo Welcome Center offers a historic flair not many other university welcome centers have, which will help showcase the University's unique character, Rule said.

The building-which was most recently home to the Naval ROTC program-was designed by renowned architect John Gaw Meem and completed in 1941. It's one of just two buildings on campus made with adobe bricks, which were made by students. It originally opened as a men's dormitory, which provided housing opportunities for lower-income students. Rooms that were dorms long ago have been repurposed into individual offices.

Transformation of the building began in 2021 with McClain + Yu Architecture & Designas they explored UNM's functional needs for the space. The project was managed by UNM Planning, Design & Construction,working with Franken Construction to give the building new purpose with a fresh look and improved mechanical, plumbing and electrical components. An informational exhibit was designed by Luci Creative in a collaborative effort with several university departments to represent the excellence of UNM's academic and student life opportunities.

Wednesday's grand opening of the facility included remarks from key members of UNM leadership, a land acknowledgement, ribbon cutting and open house.

For more information about the project, visit Lobo Welcome Center.

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