Spring Break
Lodewick center celebrates 10 years
Joseph Adinolfi
Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: News
The Lodewick Visitors Center quietly celebrated its 10th anniversary Oct. 28, an important milestone for the University of Connecticut.
When the center was built 10 years ago, UConn was one of the few universities in the Northeast with an organization solely devoted to recruiting new students.
The center has directly influenced the college selection process for thousands of students. During the 2008-2009 academic year alone, over 48,000 students and their parents accompanied the center's tour guides - which the visitor center refers to as "colleagues" - on tours around campus. This more than doubles the 19,000 that attended these tours during the center's first year in operation.
"The success of the Visitors Center is due to the commitment of all the people who work here and a lot of people behind the scenes," said Meg Malborg about her LVC colleagues, many of whom were deeply affected by the Center long before they began working there.
"I had my tour my junior year of high school and I really enjoyed it," said Nkemeilim Anako, a 3rd-semester pre-pharmacy and molecular cell biology major and LVC worker.
"You get to impact a lot of lives," Anako said. "You're really the ones who represent the university."
Community is a top priority at the LVC. Staff members have many opportunities to bond with potential students, their employers, other employees and the center's benefactors.
Every year, Phillip and Christine Lodewick invite all the Center's employees to their home in Ridgefield for a poolside clambake.
"Kindness is a word that best describes them," Malborg said. "They're very sincere, caring people."
The Lodewicks donated $1.3 million for the purpose of building the center that now bears their name.
Tours are conducted year-round, with the typical tour lasting for about two-and-a-half hours. Students visit nine buildings around campus and sit for an informative slide show about life at UConn.
The LVC has undergone significant changes not only in volume, but in their managerial strategies as well. Even the environment inside the building is in constant flux as the eye-catching displays that illustrate life at UConn are continually updated.
"One of the great benefits of our program is that we're constantly critiquing it," said Lodewick.
At the Lodewick center, job satisfaction is almost guaranteed. Once a student is hired, they rarely leave. "I feel like this is the best job on campus," Anako said.
When the center was built 10 years ago, UConn was one of the few universities in the Northeast with an organization solely devoted to recruiting new students.
The center has directly influenced the college selection process for thousands of students. During the 2008-2009 academic year alone, over 48,000 students and their parents accompanied the center's tour guides - which the visitor center refers to as "colleagues" - on tours around campus. This more than doubles the 19,000 that attended these tours during the center's first year in operation.
"The success of the Visitors Center is due to the commitment of all the people who work here and a lot of people behind the scenes," said Meg Malborg about her LVC colleagues, many of whom were deeply affected by the Center long before they began working there.
"I had my tour my junior year of high school and I really enjoyed it," said Nkemeilim Anako, a 3rd-semester pre-pharmacy and molecular cell biology major and LVC worker.
"You get to impact a lot of lives," Anako said. "You're really the ones who represent the university."
Community is a top priority at the LVC. Staff members have many opportunities to bond with potential students, their employers, other employees and the center's benefactors.
Every year, Phillip and Christine Lodewick invite all the Center's employees to their home in Ridgefield for a poolside clambake.
"Kindness is a word that best describes them," Malborg said. "They're very sincere, caring people."
The Lodewicks donated $1.3 million for the purpose of building the center that now bears their name.
Tours are conducted year-round, with the typical tour lasting for about two-and-a-half hours. Students visit nine buildings around campus and sit for an informative slide show about life at UConn.
The LVC has undergone significant changes not only in volume, but in their managerial strategies as well. Even the environment inside the building is in constant flux as the eye-catching displays that illustrate life at UConn are continually updated.
"One of the great benefits of our program is that we're constantly critiquing it," said Lodewick.
At the Lodewick center, job satisfaction is almost guaranteed. Once a student is hired, they rarely leave. "I feel like this is the best job on campus," Anako said.
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