Tiger-striped rugs and fiberglass Mike the Tiger statues can instill LSU spirit within anyone — especially prospective students.
At least, that’s what Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management David Kurpius hopes.
The Geaux Center, located on the first floor of the Student Union, is the culmination of a three-year project for University Enrollment. The room will serve as the new starting point for campus tours.
Tours used to begin in Memorial Tower, but chipped paint and a rodent problem led to the Office of Enrollment Management to search for a new location.
“We had a pet rat in Memorial Tower that had a tendency to attend events,” Kurpius said. “I think the tour guides even named it.”
After a consulting group hired by the University to assess campus tours said the Memorial Tower space was “dark, dingy and inappropriate” and did not put the school’s best foot forward, the recruitment team decided to start from scratch.
Associate Director of Enrollment Management Mandy Hoffman and assistant director Anthony Ranatza toured college campuses with Kurpius to see what the University could improve. They realized the importance of a strong first impression.
“We’ve gone from the worst in the SEC … to one of the top nationally,” Kurpius said of the new starting point.
The University hired Grace and Hebert Architects and FortyNine Degrees, the group that designed the football locker room’s graphics, to create a space that embodied the Tiger spirit.
Kurpius, Hoffman and Ranatza want the Geaux Center to welcome prospective students to the University.
“This facility now says, ‘We care a lot about you, and we want to help you at a very high level,’” Kurpius said.
Though the Office of Enrollment Management looks forward to what the new addition has to offer, it still anticipates changes, ranging from simple decorations to technological advances.
Kurpius said a promotional “Love Purple, Live Gold” sign, purple and gold umbrellas outside and a life-size bronze Mike the Tiger statue are in the works. He said he hopes these small details will inspire potential students to become part of the University.
Hoffman said interactive screens are important features allowing visitors to post about their experiences at the University via social media and encourage their friends to tour the campus as well.
“We’re going to add some interactive technology that allows guests who are waiting for the tour to begin to do some different searches of some different areas on campus, both academic and student life, working on social media connections,” Hoffman said.
Current students agree that the Geaux Center is both a novelty and a necessity.
International trade and finance senior Shannon Blood said it’s the ideal location for prospective students to start.
“It’s a good place to corral them together,” Blood said.
Mass communication freshman Abby-Lynn Gary says the Geaux Center will be a clearer place to begin than where her first tour at the University started, the Union Theater.
“When I came, [the tour] was kind of everywhere and I got lost, so I think a clear central meeting point would be perfect,” Gary said.
The University has a little more than $500,000 to raise to finish the facility before the recruitment process begins.
A formal ribbon cutting ceremony is expected sometime in March.

Gallery • 4 Photos

Javier Fernández

25 reasons to love LSU montage inside the LSU geaux center on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015, located in the studen Union.