On Friday afternoon, Oct. 12, a double celebration will take place — Augsburg will mark the successful completion of Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College and formally dedicate the new Oren Gateway Center.
The celebration begins at 2 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel and includes Gospel Praise and recognition of campaign achievements and the campaign leaders. A youth drill and dance team will lead a procession from the chapel to Oren Center for the formal dedication ceremony.
The celebrating continues at 3 p.m. with a reception in Oren Center and self-guided tours of the building, as staff and students welcome visitors into the office suites. Food will be served in the Johnson Conference Center, and Nabo will offer samples of its fare.
From 4-6 p.m., the neighborhood and community are invited to Oren Gateway Center to join the campus celebration at an open house.
Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College raised more than $56 million between 1999-2007, exceeding its goal. Alumni, faculty, students, parents, donors and friends generously contributed to growth of the annual operating fund, capital projects like the Kennedy Center and Oren Gateway, and funding of the long-term endowment.
The four-story Oren Gateway Center is home to approximately 100 students, most of them in the StepUP program. In addition to the StepUP suite, other offices there are the Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Leadership programs, and Institutional Advancement offices, including Development, and Alumni, Parent and Family Relations.
In addition, the Oren Center houses the Adeline M. Johnson Conference Center, the Gage Family Gallery, Nabo Neighborhood Café and the Barnes & Noble Augsburg College bookstore.
For information on the celebration and other Homecoming Week events, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni or e-mail Sherilyn Young, youngs@augsburg.edu.