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University of La Verne's new Campus Center Update

Amid a September flurry of activity surrounding the University of La Verne's new Campus Center, the concrete forms were removed to reveal the first visible hardscape of the Frank and Nadine Johnson Family Plaza.

Earlier this year, ULV Board of Trustees member Nadine Johnson stepped forward with a top leadership pledge to the Campus Center Project. In honor of this altruistic gesture, the main circular wall of the new plaza will bear the name of the family, including her late husband, Frank Johnson, a leader in the city of La Verne for decades.

As the Plaza takes shape and the Sports Science & Athletics Pavilion renovation progresses, the Campus Center Project fundraising effort is closing in on the $16 million goal of The Abraham Challenge. As the challenge deadline approached, commitments totalled $15.85 million with pledges still coming in and more than a week until the challenge deadline.

The Frank and Nadine Johnson Family Plaza is one of three components that constitute the University of La Verne's Campus Center Project. This project also comprises construction of a Campus Center building and the Pavilion renovation.

In February 2004, a historic $4 million conditional pledge by trustee Michael Abraham and his wife, Sara, launched a challenge to raise $16 million toward the three-stage Campus Center Project. In recognition of the Abrahams' leadership and generosity - with their pledge potentially the largest single cash commitment in the university's 113-year history - ULV's new central activity building will be named the Sara & Michael Abraham Campus Center.

The University of La Verne Board of Trustees approved the beginning of the construction phase during its Nov. 5, 2004 meeting. Pasadena-based Gonzalez|Goodale Architects has since been selected to design the Abraham Campus Center structure.

Completion of the entire Campus Center Project will enhance the collegiate experience for students and present a focal point for the campus community. Recruitment and retention of students is vital in today's competitive higher education market. Studies show that two significant reasons students choose a university are campus environment and a campus center, and the Campus Center Project addresses both issues.

The Plaza, under the design of Mark Von Wodtke of Claremont Environmental Design Group, takes many design cues from Italian piazzas. The circular layout promotes personal interaction and will provide an ideal forum for the exchange of ideas, whether of groups or individuals. Described as the university's new "Town Square," the Frank and Nadine Johnson Family Plaza will serve as an outdoor gathering place for students, faculty and staff.