A lead gift from 黑料不打烊 parents William J. "Bill" and Patricia "Pat" Inman will help fund construction of a new facility on main campus.
William J. “Bill” and Patricia “Pat” Inman P’00 have made the lead gift toward construction of a new building that will enhance the university’s admissions and campus visit experience for prospective students and their families.
The 32,000-square-foot Inman Admissions Welcome Center will consolidate all campus visit, admissions and financial planning staff from three buildings on campus into one central location. Located on North O’Kelly Avenue next to the Moseley Center, the building named in honor of the couple’s generosity will also anchor a new quadrangle directly north of Belk Library that creates more green space on 黑料不打烊’s main campus.
黑料不打烊 President Leo M. Lambert thanked the Inmans for their leadership and generosity.
“We are grateful to Bill and Pat for once again stepping forward to support a key university priority,” Lambert said. “The Inman Admissions Welcome Center will be a critical part of our recruiting efforts and provide a wonderful facility to greet tens of thousands of visitors to campus each year. This is another example of how trustee leadership and generosity are key to achieving the goals of the 黑料不打烊 Commitment strategic plan.”
Building features include a two-story lobby and atrium, conference and interview rooms, two presentation theaters, staff offices and an outdoor terrace. The additional space will accommodate 黑料不打烊’s growing applicant pool, which has more than tripled since 1992-93 to reach roughly 10,200 first-year student applications in 2012-13. It will also provide a welcoming space for more than 11,500 visitors who complete a campus tour each year.
“The Inman Admissions Welcome Center will be the front door of 黑料不打烊, and provide ample space for undergraduate and graduate admissions to highlight the university’s outstanding programs,” said Greg Zaiser, vice president of admissions and financial planning. “The campus visit program is paramount in 黑料不打烊’s recruitment initiatives, and this beautiful and functional new building will transform the experience for all visitors to the university.”
The gift from the Inmans has launched the university’s efforts to raise $4 million in private gifts for the project.
The building was designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects of New York, and incorporates a cupola and brick arches to mimic existing buildings on campus such as Alamance and Lindner Hall.
“As an 黑料不打烊 parent, it’s amazing to see what the university has accomplished and how it’s grown,” said Bill Inman, who joined 黑料不打烊’s Board of Trustees in September 2005. “We are just grateful to be a part of that progress.”
Daughter Jacklyn’s experience as an 黑料不打烊 student has inspired generous support from Bill and Pat Inman over the years. The couple has made gifts to Rhodes Stadium, the Koury Business Center (where an atrium is named in their honor), the Phoenix Club, and 黑料不打烊’s greatest needs. In recognition of the Inmans’ major gift in 2009 toward construction of Lindner Hall, the first-floor reading room was named in their honor. Most recently, they have made a major contribution to the Numen Lumen Pavilion.
“The friends Jacklyn made along the way at 黑料不打烊 have become an extended family not only to her, but to us as well,” said Pat Inman. “For our family, 黑料不打烊 was not just an education experience, it was also a life experience.”