By Maureen Quinlan, News Correspondent

There’s a blueish glow coming from the ground-floor windows of West Village F. Inside it looks like the Jetsons’ living room. Or maybe the waiting area for a Disney roller coaster. It could be a new model for the Apple store.

But in reality, it’s Northeastern’s new visitor center, which moved from the Behrakis Health Sciences Center in the second week of July. Inside are lighted walls, giant touch screens and sleek flooring.

Construction on the space began in January and had been planned for multiple years. All money for the project came from the university capital and building budget, which also covers the Curry Student Center and residential hall renovations this summer. The visitor center was 10 percent of that budget, Jane Brown, Northeastern’s vice president of enrollment, said.

The university declined to release further information about the cost of the center in dollars and does not release details about the budget size.

Brown said the facility was upgraded for three reasons.

Chief among them is space. Northeastern sees 70,000 visitors per year and that number is rising, Brown said. With such a high volume of families on campus, the university saw a need for a larger center. Brown said the new space is approximately four times bigger than the Behrakis visitors center.

The second reason is to contribute to the holistic experience of visiting a college, Brown said.

“Research done about how students choose a college shows that the campus visit is key in the decision, and that students with a more personalized visit enroll at higher rates,” she said.

Administrators said they also hope the new center provides a front door to Northeastern for anyone visiting campus, including prospective students, parents or visiting professors.

“We want to reflect Northeastern’s core attributes of innovation and entrepreneurship in this space,” Brown said.

Those attributes are most noticeable in the design and features of the center. Upon walking through the doors, families are greeted by a Northeastern student and an iPad which they can use to check in or register for a tour.

They are then shown two interactive walls, 10-foot-by-10-foot screens that were custom developed for Northeastern. The screens are essentially giant iPads that provide information about the university.

Statistics bubbles and news stories about NU float around the screen. The main feature is the “Explore Northeastern” box that offers information, photos, videos and student testimonials on seven subjects from academics to student life to experiential learning.

On a wall adjacent to the main walls is a smaller screen known as the global screen. As a digital globe spins, visitors can click on a country and see what students are studying and learning there.

“It gives [prospective] students an understanding of how [current] students incorporate the global opportunity into their experience,” said Jamie Abromaitis, assistant director of undergraduate admissions and visitor services.

Brown said she hopes the global wall illustrates Northeastern’s international reach.

“A global perspective is essential to a 21st century education,” she said.

Ian Willse, a sophomore mechanical and electrical engineering major, said he likes the center from what he has seen so far.

“I’ve walked past and it looks state-of-the-art with the color walls,” he said. “I think it is a great way to get Northeastern’s name out there.”

Four high school juniors from Summit, N.J. recently visited Northeastern and said they were pleased with the new technology.

“It is very high-tech and modern,” Chris Laughlin said. “It is a good first impression.”
Chris’s father Peter brought his son and three friends on a college tour of the Boston area. Before visiting NU, the group visited Boston College, The College of the Holy Cross and Boston University. Peter Laughlin was impressed with the walls and overall experience.

“I think the space is nice,” he said. “It fits well with the character of Northeastern. It is very different than other schools, and gives me a favorable first impression.”

The Husky Ambassadors, the tour guide club, have found a new home in the space. Shannon Clark, a middler communications major who has been a tour guide since May, has watched families react to the center. 

“Families have been really amazed,” she said. “I’ve seen jaws drop because this center is like nothing they’ve ever seen at other visitor centers.”

In addition to the larger lobby space, two presentation rooms, interview suites and admissions counselor offices were added to the two floors of the center.

All classrooms that were displaced by the center’s construction were replaced in other buildings, Brown said. Furniture is removable so the space can be used for gatherings by other groups on campus too.

Changes are not just occurring in the appearance of the visitor center, but also in the programming. Families now attend a 30-minute “Explore Northeastern” session followed by a campus tour. They can also take part in a question and answer session, a tour of International Village or a tour of the athletic facilities including the Cabot Physical Education Center and the Marino Center.

“The center shows who we are and what students will get from us if they choose to enroll,” Abromaitis said. “The personal experience and welcoming community is reflected through the innovative and revolutionary visitor center.”

Disclosure: Maureen Quinlan is also a Husky Ambassador.