Posted on September 11, 2012

University of Wyoming Receives $10 Million From Marian H. Rochelle

The University of Wyoming has announced a gift of $10 million from philanthropist Marian H. Rochelle for a new facility that will become the signature entrance to the campus.

The gift will be used to support construction of the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center, a 60,000-plus-square-foot facility that will include state-of-the-art technological infrastructure, small and large meeting rooms, a venue for public and social events, and a museum-quality space that commemorates the history of the university. Partners in the project include the UW Foundation, the Alumni Association, the Center for Advising and Career Services, and Admissions.

Planning for the center, which will be fully funded through private support and UW Foundation reserve dollars, began in 2008 as part of the foundation's strategic plan and the university's long-range development plan. Construction is scheduled to begin in late spring of 2013, with the facility expected to open in the fall of 2014. The latest gift from Rochelle brings her total giving to UW to more than $18 million, the most by an individual donor in the university's history.

"The Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center is a culmination of my mother's philanthropic gifting to the University of Wyoming," said Rochelle's daughter and former state senator April Brimmer Kunz. "The Gateway Center is symbolic of the many doors she has opened to education for our students. It also will provide a wonderful entrance to the University of Wyoming that will be the crown jewel of the campus."