The University held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Catherine and Pettus Randall Welcome Center on Friday, honoring the successful renovation of Bryce Main and the future home of undergraduate admissions.
Prior to the welcome center’s completion, prospective students and families met at The University of Alabama Student Center to learn more about the admissions process.
With a lounge, a theatre and a place to gather for campus tours, the 15,000-square-foot welcome center showcases campus culture and the undergraduate experience to prospective students.
One of the most notable features is the Roll Tide Room, an audio-visual experience that showcases what it is like to walk through University grounds on game day.
“The Randall Welcome Center illustrates the rich history of The University of Alabama, our unwavering commitment to student success, and the unmatched student experience at the Capstone,” UA President Stuart Bell said. “Our mission to bring the best and brightest students to our campus has been strengthened.”
The welcome center is just one of many renovations to the historic Bryce Main, which will also house the future Smith Family Center for the Performing Arts and a museum dedicated to mental health awareness.
Matthew McClendon, associate vice president and executive director of enrollment at the University, said he believes the new center will have an enormous impact on recruitment and admission efforts.
“By having the country’s premier welcome center, prospective students and their families will enjoy a campus visit experience that is unmatched,” McClendon said. “This facility will be the standard against which all other college and university admission offices are compared.”
The center is named after the late Pettus Randall and his wife, Catherine J. Randall.
Previously, Catherine J. Randall served as the director of the Randall Research Scholars Program for 25 years, in addition to her and her husband making several donations to the Capstone. Today, Randall is a member of the campaign cabinet for The Rising Tide, which aims to provide students with funding for varying educational opportunities.
“This welcome center is so state-of-the-art, so exciting, that I can hardly wait to see the faces of the students that will come here and get their first glimpse of what a difference can be made in their life by attending The University of Alabama,” Randall said. “This University welcomed my husband first and then me. We met here, and our lives were never the same thereafter.”
