For many Goshen College business and communication students, the Newcomer Center is the most important building

on campus.  In September, it became hard to access without crossing through the Church-Chapel or Union buildings due to the construction of a new Welcome Plaza.

Students were alerted of the construction in an email from the office of the president on Aug. 5, while the work started on Aug. 10. 

Brian Mast, the associate vice president for facilities management, said that originally the plans were not to have construction during the school year, but the process was expedited after the June board meeting.

“It was introduced to the board as something we were working on, and the board got really excited and was interested in getting it done before Homecoming,” Mast said. “It has been challenging.”

The Welcome Plaza will feature a large seal of Goshen College, as well as a place to sit and a

plaque thanking donors of the Connected Cause campaign. However, Mast said that its main purpose is to add a sense of grandeur to a campus arrival.

“We hope it will become a photo op for grads and for people who are on campus. I think it’s also a resting spot for students and for people to gather for tours that are happening,” he said.

“There’s never been a sidewalk along the south side of the Union,” Mast added. “So people cut through the grass, and that has bugged me for years.”

The pavers that make up the floor of the plaza are not yet locked in place, which has led to some of them being stolen or rearranged. To Cynthia Good Kaufmann, the acting director of facilities, this has been a headache. “Please don’t move my pavers.”

The stones will be locked in place over winter break, as soon

as the custom pavers inscribed with donor names and the medallion with the seal arrive. Until then, they will remain loose but walkable.

Next week, a stone veneer will be added to the walls of the plaza to improve aesthetics. Later, limestone lettering with the college’s name will be added. The plaza will likely be closed off for this construction.

Liam Shaw is a junior journalism major. His path to Newcomer was severely affected by the construction while the plaza was closed off. 

“I have two routes. I either go through the Church-Chapel … or the Welcome Center,” Shaw said at the time. “It’s inconvenient for my timing.”

Mast acknowledged the burden the construction has put on students. He said, “In any construction project you’re doing, you have to weigh … these factors, right?”

“It’s a constant balance,” Mast said. “There’s some pain with that.”

Although part of the Welcome Plaza will celebrate the Connected Cause donors, none of their donations have been used for

the construction.

“We have donors that direct money to different projects on campus,” he said. “The one that this one came out of is specifically for landscaping.” 

The Connected Cause campaign was a five-year fundraising campaign that raised $76.8 million for the college. The funds will be split throughout the college to help fund projects to better facilities, scholarships and more.

Approximately 4,500 house-holds donated to the college during the event, about 800 of which were first-time donors. While the Welcome Plaza will not have space for all the donors, the goal is to include at least those who contributed the largest amounts.

Mast added that a single donor had provided the funds for the project, a late couple who had also helped fund the Music Center. 

One of the next renovations to be completed on campus will happen in the Science Hall. “In a few months, we’re going to replace the chillers on the roof,” Mast said.

This project, just like the Welcome Plaza, will cause some burden to students. Ultimately, though, Mast said that students will see this as a net gain.

“That’s going to be a big disruption, and we’re going to have to close some sidewalks down to make sure that that happens,” he said. “It is what

it is.”

The architecture and engineering firm Schmidt Associates, which also designed the Music Center, was in charge of designing the Welcome Plaza. Most recently, Schmidt Associates was in charge of renovating three different Ball State University dormitories.

DJ Construction was hired to build the project. They are best known for their work nearby with Goshen Health.

DJ Construction is a different company than Hayes Design, which installed the signs and maps earlier this year to mixed reactions. There will, however, be one map kiosk installed in

the plaza.