Colorado State University-Pueblo will be undergoing renovations to the Occhiato University Center as well as receiving scholarship money through its recently announced “On the Move” campaign.
The campaign was announced on Aug. 29, with more than 100 people in attendance. The audience included students, staff, faculty and sponsors of the school.
Jennifer Mullen began with an introduction of the event and a presentation of special speakers including Dan DeRose, chair of the CSU-Pueblo Foundation; Joe Folda, director of athletics; Leslie Di Mare, president of the university; and Vanessa Emerson, president of the Associated Student Government.
The foundation has approved renovation of the OUC, which will expand the building to nearly twice its current size and improve the structural qualities of the building.
The cafeterias will be redesigned as will the size of the ballroom. The foundation hopes to begin the first steps to rebuilding the OUC within the next few months.
The goal is to have the renovations to the OUC completed within the next three years. $5 million will be used for this portion of the campaign.
The largest portion of the “On the Move” funds is $15 million, which will be dedicated to new scholarships and financial aid for first time and transfer students beginning in fall 2014.
“Our goal of this campaign is to give more young men and women the opportunity to have the transformational experience of receiving a degree from a higher education institution,” Di Mare said.
“I can tell you how excited our students at CSU-Pueblo are with the remodel of the building that is to come, and everyday we’re in our classrooms and we have that engraved in our mind that it may not be this year, but we’re going to see those changes happen on our campus,” Emerson said
A video produced by recent graduate Tyler Lundquist was screened at the announcement, showing the testimony of four students who have received scholarships from CSU-Pueblo and the impact that those scholarships have had on their lives.
“Scholarship dollars will educate (students), allow them to remain in school and graduate, and allow them to become active members of society,” Di Mare said.
