First impressions are lasting impressions.
With that concept in mind, maize and blue ribbons were cut to symbolize the official opening of the Huetwell Visitors Center - the arrival gate to the University.
Connected to the Student Activities Building on Maynard Street, the new building will welcome University visitors, from prospective students to alums.
"Until now, we have not had a central entry point to the University," said interim President Homer Neal.
The building, with its modern glass exterior and three-story atrium, has meeting rooms, a reception lobby and auditoriums where visitors can watch videos about the University and prospective students can hear presentations by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Other services will still be located in the SAB-Visitors Center, including Career Planning and Placement, Housing, and the Office of Financial Aid.
Provost J. Bernard Machen said the center will serve as an "important linkage" and introduction for students and faculty.
"It's appropriate they should have the opportunity to interact from the very beginning," Machen said.
Regent Nellie Varner (D-Detroit), who also spoke at the opening, contrasted the campus's unwelcoming atmosphere during her first week on campus as a graduate student in 1964 to the friendly atmosphere symbolized by the new center.
Varner said that while the building is made of brick, glass and metal, it "will radiate a sense of welcome."
The visitors center is designed to be the first place for prospective students to learn about the University.
"So when they leave, they'll take away only good memories of the University of Michigan," Varner said.
Campus Day leader John Antonini, an LSA sophomore, said the spring introduction to campus is one of many programs that will be greatly improved with the opening of the center.
Previously, the University could accommodate only small groups because of limited space; now they can hold luncheons and discussions in the center's meeting rooms.
"With the opening of the visitors center, first impressions will be greatly improved," Antonini said.