A groundbreaking ceremony was held Friday, April 25, to mark the beginning of a much-anticipated project that will transform Kellogg Hall into a dynamic hub for leadership, service, and engagement.
The modernized building will feature spacious and flexible gathering spaces that will strengthen what Walla Walla University is already known for: an active, close-knit campus community.
Ministry services — Campus Ministries and Student Missions — will join the Office of Student Life and the Associated Students of Walla Walla University in the building. The Atlas; game and band practice spaces; meeting and dining spaces; and fresh new spaces for food preparation and delivery, are also included.
Albert Handal, lead campus chaplain, began the groundbreaking ceremony with prayer. Then, President Alex Bryan invited attendees to anticipate the ways the new Student Life and Ministry Center will enhance the mission of Walla Walla University.
“This construction is not about glass and steel, but about God and students,” Bryan said. “The completion of this project will represent a seriousness on the part of the university to construct space where young women and men can cultivate intelligence, stewardship, and creativity.
“This Friday afternoon, the space before us lives in our imagination and in architectural renderings. It has taken up residence in the courageous minds of lead donors, brave fundraisers, a wise Board of Trustees, and a visionary former Walla Walla University president,” Bryan said. “We are gathered here because ‘faith is the conviction of things not seen.’ But now, beginning this summer, we shall see.”
Groundbreaking participants included Jodi Wagner, vice president for university relations and advancement; Prakash Ramoutar, vice president for financial administration; Paul Rhynard, member of the Board of Trustees; Alex Bryan, president; Brooklynn Armesto-Larson, assistant vice president and dean of students; Lorelei Harbour, president of the Associate Students of Walla Walla University; and Norma Hernandez, mayor of the City of College Place.
Dr. John McVay, former Walla Walla University president and now president of the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, concluded the ceremony with prayer for the project.
Launched in 2015 by McVay, the Life.Changing. Campaign for Walla Walla University funded the complete transformation of Bowers Hall in 2017, and to date has raised more than $15 million for the university’s endowment. The capstone project for the campaign, the Student Life and Ministry Center, is scheduled to be completed by fall 2027.
Kellogg Hall, completed in 1958 and named for former Walla Walla College President Ernest Kellogg, was designed by the university’s engineering department and in-house architect. The building has been home to the university’s home economics classes, student association offices (including Collegian and Mountain Ash publications), student activities, Office of Student Life, and dining services.
For more information, visit wallawalla.edu/slmc.
Posted on May 2, 2025.
