The north end of the Hesston College campus will soon become a construction zone as the college completed fundraising  Oct. 1 for the $3.8 million renovation of the north campus entrance and Northlawn performing arts building. The renovation is set to begin in late December and be completed in August 2015, prior to the start of the academic year.

Hesston College received a $500,000 challenge grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation (Tulsa, Okla.) in January 2014. At that time, the college had also secured more than $2.2 million in donor commitments, leaving $1.2 million to be raised by Mabee’s December 2014 deadline.

“We are so grateful for the generosity of so many people that made reaching this goal a full three months in advance possible,” said Tonya Detweiler, Hesston College interim vice president of Advancement.

Lead gifts totaling $1.52 million were made to the college by Excel Industries (Hesston) and Jayco, Inc. (Middlebury, Ind.), as well as other charitable donors. A total of 232 donors gave to the campaign project.

Original construction of Northlawn, home to the college’s music and theatre programs, was completed in 1971. Northlawn is the only building on campus to not have received renovations or new construction in 31 years. Updates will include new windows, HVAC system and other energy saving measures; acoustical work to isolate and calibrate sound; creation of dedicated spaces for instrument storage, theatre, Campus Worship, choirs and Chamber Orchestra; an additional classroom and student gathering spaces.

The campus entrance will be constructed on the north end of campus next to Northlawn. The project will increase visibility to the campus from the main road running past campus, improve aesthetics and add additional parking and a drop-off area to better serve alumni, friends and visitors.