The Cindy ’82 and Kevin ’79 Killips Welcome Center Opens With Dedication Ceremony
A new chapter in Dominican University’s story was celebrated on April 20 with the formal dedication of the Cindy ’82 and Kevin ’79 Killips Welcome Center.
The university community came together in Lewis Hall to thank Cindy and Kevin Killips, the center’s benefactors, and mark the completion of the space.
Dozens gathered to admire the inviting space at the front of Lewis Hall. It was designed to be the university’s “living room” where prospective students and their families can feel at home on their first visit in the tradition of hospitality that the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters created. The space will serve as the starting point for prospective student tours and includes a presentation room that can accommodate group visits and events of varying sizes.
Both spaces allow for an engaging experience. Families can immerse themselves in interactive displays and graphic elements that bring to life the distinctive qualities of a Dominican education, including academic programs and alumnae/i stories. A living picture wall rotates through images to bring Dominican’s campus to life. And in meeting rooms, students can pose at photo op walls to celebrate deciding to attend Dominican.
The lobby was also updated and now includes an ADA lift for increased accessibility as well as a new welcome and information desk. The four Dominican pillars of study, prayer, service and community are also engraved into a display on the walls, solidifying their lasting presence.
“I do think it’s a real investment in the university, and that is important to me as an alum — as somebody who reaped the benefits of this education — and as a board member to make Dominican better and sustainable as we go forward,” Kevin Killips told guests at the welcome center’s opening ceremony.
Cindy Killips also spoke of Dominican as home, sharing her hope that the new center will make future students and families feel the same.
“What a fitting word for this beautiful space: The Welcome Center,” she said. “Welcome is exactly how I felt the moment I walked through the doors of Rosary College, which is now Dominican University. There’s that special feeling. It’s about love and support, and it feels like home when you are here.”
Anne Kohler '82, president of the Dominican University Board of Trustees, shared similar sentiments.
“This welcome center will serve as the starting point on the journey for generations of Dominican students who have yet to walk through these doors, but who will forever be touched once they do. I know the first time I walked through those doors it felt like home.”
