The Adrian College sign on US 223 is getting a face-lift.
The current signs are just brick bases, with the words ADRIAN COLLEGE and the college’s seal on them. While that area is landscaped and maintained, it doesn’t do much for bringing awareness to the campus.
The idea for a new sign has been thrown around for the last year, and it is finally happening. The President of Adrian College was approached with the idea by an alum, and once all the details were worked out, this ended up being a 100% donor funded project.
The new signs will be an electronic message board sign on top of the current brick signs, though the lettering will be removed from the current signs due to size specifications from the city sign ordinance, as confirmed by Christopher Atkin, Director of Community Development. By removing the lettering from the current brick signs, their size is no longer considered as part of the size of the new signs, which allows AC to put up a slightly larger sign.
“I’m very excited about the possibility of being able to share the great work of faculty and students with the community,” said Agnes Caldwell, vice president and dean of academic affairs. “The new signs are just another way for us to publicize events on campus and to improve our campus/community relations.”
Preliminary research done prior to the sign being approved showed that between May 2009 and Dec. 2009, there were 20,000 people (non-student) on campus for weddings, receptions, conferences, banquets, and camps, said Kristi Maxwell, dean of student life. There are also over 1,200 community people on campus monthly, using the Arrington Ice Arena for Open Skate, Learn to Skate, Youth Hockey league, and the 30 & over hockey league.
Passers-by will now be able to find out what is happening on campus in the near future; Adrian Symphony Orchestra shows, current offerings from the theater department, time and date of planetarium shows. Non-campus related activities could also be included, such as the bridal expo that AC hosted in he past. The sign will also help with keeping students up to speed with the most current information regarding events on campus.
“It just makes sense,” said Caldwell, regarding the many benefits the new signs will bring.
The decision for an electronic message board sign came about because it will not only catch people’s eyes as they drive by , but also because of the versatility this type of sign brings.
“If something were to happen on campus, it would only take a few minutes to change the signs and let students know,” said Maxwell.
There are currently no plans for any other signs in the near future, partly because of the amount of visibility these new signs will bring, as well as the new signs being in a key location with regards to reaching large numbers of people quickly, said Maxwell.
The target date for the completion of this project is this Friday, March 26, which coincides with the President Docking’s State of the College address.