New Bengal Alumni Center open and hosting events
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POCATELLO — The Idaho Central Credit Union Bengal Alumni Center has opened its doors after about 21 months of construction.
The Alumni Center has reached a point that Ryan Sargent, associate vice president of alumni relations, called “substantial completion” because it’s hosting events, but there’s still some finishing work to do.
Sargent said the building will function as a “hub to reconnect our alumni with each other and with Idaho State University.”
But he said that beyond the services offered in the building, it will offer symbolic value to the university and the community as well.
“It’s much more than just a physical structure,” Sargent said. “The Alumni Center represents our community, and it’s a reflection of our vibrant and dynamic spirit in Pocatello and at ISU.”
The grand opening of the center hasn’t happened or been scheduled yet, but it is expected to take place sometime in August. Sargent said the event would have a ribbon cutting and a few speakers and would offer tours of the fully-complete building.
Sargent said that although construction was a couple of weeks behind schedule in using the center, the project was completed in the time that was contractually obligated. He said that for a brief period, the contractor thought the project could be finished before Christmas 2022, but it was always scheduled to be completed by Spring Semester 2023.
By next week, the Alumni Relations and Advancement Communications Staff plans to be fully moved into the new building.
Sargent said that one of the ISU services that alumni have access to is the career center. Now alumni can go to the center to be connected with the university’s career center professionals and get help with improving their resume or preparing for a job interview.
All of the alumni events will now be held at the Alumni Center in the building’s dedicated meeting place. Sargent said the Alumni Office will be kicking off a new program in the next academic year called “Bringing the U to You.”
This will be a monthly event where “we highlight some of the fascinating things that our students and our faculty are doing here on campus and really connecting our alumni with the interesting research and projects that are happening.”
One example that Sargent brought up was a “live recording of some KISU shows up there one night so people can learn more about KISU and actually participate in the recording of a show.”
Sargent said he thought that Bringing the U to You would “enrich our community and get our alumni connected with our students in a new and meaningful way.”
But Sargent said that the “game changer” that the Alumni Center brings to the table is the campus’s ability to hold large events. The event hall has a maximum capacity of 440 people with round tables, but it can also be set up differently with rectangular tables and fit something more like 700 people. If a standing-room concert is held there, it can hold around 1,000 people.
“Now, we finally have a large formal event space,” Sargent said.
The ICCU Bengal Alumni Center was an $11.5 million project privately funded through nearly 2,100 donations. People can still donate to the center; if they give more than $1,000, they will be recognized with an engraved paver in the courtyard.