ISU breaks ground on new alumni center

It will not only be a place to gather with alumni and friends but will also serve as an events center, display honorary alumni and have meeting/board rooms.

The Idaho Central Credit Union Bengal Alumni Center will allow for connections with alumni on campus and to connect students with alumni for career and professional advancement. Ryan Sargent, executive director of alumni relations and advancement communications, says the new facility will create a warm and inviting front door to Idaho State and will serve as the permanent home for ISU’s more than 85,000 alumni.

“It will serve alumni as they come home to ISU. They will find meaningful support services and opportunities to get to know our current students. It will be the launching point for Bengals to connect with each other and experience Idaho State more deeply.”

All are invited to the ICCU Bengal Alumni Center groundbreaking at 11 a.m. on July 8 at Bonneville Street and Memorial Avenue near Holt Arena in Pocatello.

Original plans for an alumni center began two decades ago. Over the years, hundreds of Bengal alumni, donors and friends have worked together to raise the private funds needed to construct the building. The effort was reenergized in 2017 when the late alumnus Jack R. Wheatley committed $2 million to the project. Since then, an additional $6 million dollars have been raised including a $1.5 million gift from Idaho Central Credit Union.

Donations to the project can be made at isu.edu/alumnicenter or in person at the Magnuson Alumni House located at 554 South 7th Ave in Pocatello. Engraved commemorative pavers, which will make up the center’s patio, are still available and ideal for Bengal alumni, families and friends. More information is available at isu.edu/alumnicenter or by calling the Alumni Office at (208) 282-3755.

Construction on the center is expected to be completed by spring 2023.