Texas Woman’s University officially cut the ribbon on its new Welcome Center at Brackenridge Hall, marking not just the end of an 18-month renovation but the beginning of a new chapter in how the university greets students, families and the community.
Chancellor Dr. Carine Feyten frames the moment as both a tribute to TWU’s history and a bold step toward its future during her speech at the Grand Opening of Brackenridge. “You have given us more than a renovation, you have given us a new face of Texas Woman’s, because this is really the front door now, the face of the university,” she says. Reflecting on the building’s legacy as both a dormitory and later a student union, Chancellor Feyten notes its symbolic continuity: “To open this new Welcome Center under [Mary Eleanor Brackenridge’s] name is to carry forward her pioneering spirit into a third chapter.”
Paving the way for future pioneers
Vice President for Student Life, Dr. Monica Mendez-Grant, who has worked in Brackenridge Hall for decades, emphasizes how the building has always been a gathering place. “From its early days as a dormitory through its life as a union, to its rebirth as a campus Welcome Center, Brackenridge Hall stands as a testament to our university’s enduring spirit,” she says. “It honors Mary Eleanor Brackenridge’s legacy of leadership, reflects decades of shared memories, and now paves the way for a new generation of Pioneers.”
Belonging and the one-step model
For the Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dr. Javier Flores, the center is about more than efficiency, it is also about belonging. “This building is more than offices and lounges. It is the front door to TWU… a place where barriers are broken, doors are opened, and bold futures are built,” he says. He emphasizes that the one-step model, encompassing housing admissions, financial aid, registrar services, career connections, and student life resources, supports students from their first campus visit through to graduation. “Every student who comes here should feel welcomed, valued, and supported from the moment they arrive,” Dr. Flores adds.
Faculty thoughts
Faculty echo the same sentiments on student success. Dr. Della Molloy-Daugherty, assistant professor and coordinator of the Music Therapy program, describes the center’s design as immediately helpful. “I advise a lot of students, and it will be very easy now to say. ‘Go to this one building to take care of all of their different needs.’”
Dr. Francilia Brito Silva, assistant director of the Health and Wellbeing Initiative Operations, adds that the centralized services reduce confusion and missed opportunities. “Sometimes [students] have to go from place to place to find information, and it is frustrating. They cannot find the right information on time, and that makes them miss deadlines. Having everything in one place will speed up the process so they won’t miss deadlines… everything will go much smoother,” she explains.
Student reactions
Students are already experiencing those benefits firsthand. Freshman Montserrath Osegurra describes the welcome center as “really pretty, really clean, and really organized.” She notes that the lounges offer her a quiet place to study outside her dorm. “I can imagine myself studying here… it’s really nice.”
Freshman Kelly Soto also highlights how the layout makes resources accessible. “I like the way that it’s very open, but also you can kind of see where everything is located. Everything being in one place makes it really easy,” she says.
For both students, the building represents TWU’s priorities. “It really proves that TWU is for its students,” Montserrath says. Kelly adds, “I think it means they really care about their students–the way that they are trying to help them in more than one way. That’s one of the reasons I chose this school.”
As TWU continues to expand its facilities and reach new milestones, the Welcome Center stands as both a practical resource and a symbolic threshold. It reflects a university that is proud of its history while committed to growth, accessibility and student success.
Or, as Dr. Molloy-Daugherty puts it, looking ahead: “Ten years from now, I hope it [Welcome Center] will be remembered for simplifying the entire process for students.”
Amanda Ezeigbo can be contacted via email at aezeigbo@twu.edu
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