Two Awards Note BVU Developments
Buena Vista University earned a pair of awards in November for developments realized during 2019.
The Chairman’s Award from the Iowa Lakes Corridor Corporation recognized several achievements the University experienced throughout the past year.
BVU President Joshua Merchant, on behalf of the University, accepted the award, which came during the organization’s Annual Business Recognition Luncheon at the Clay County Regional Events Center in Spencer.
In the past calendar year, BVU launched the Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Resource Management, which gave rise to academic majors in agricultural science and agricultural business. The heightened interest among students and residents across Iowa paved the way for the new Donald F. and Charlene K. Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. Additionally, an anonymous benefactor contributed $1 million to establish the Invest in Rural Iowa Scholarship to benefit 60 Northwest Iowa students dedicated to return from BVU to make a difference in growing their communities.
BVU, in concert with the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation, won a $175,000 grant from Google to aid in the implementation of educational programming aimed at matching current business owners with up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
After formally opening a renovated Dr. Harold Walter Siebens Forum, the result of a $15.1-million effort funded entirely by BVU benefactors, the University announced a second phase of the renovation, a $4.3-million project to reshape Ballou Library, the Center for Academic Excellence, and more.
Together, these developments, which also included a resurrection of the marching band program, helped boost freshman enrollment by 15 percent for the 2019-20 academic year and poised the University, and, by extension, Northwest Iowa, to reach even greater heights in the future.
“While we’re excited about all the growth we’ve seen at BVU in the past year, we’re eager to keep moving forward for the outstanding people who make Northwest Iowa a wonderful place to live and work,” says Merchant. “We’re humbled to receive the Chairman’s Award, and grateful in the knowledge that our achievements represent a shared success; shared wholly with our students, our staff and community members, and incredible partners like the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation—an organization we’re thrilled to have with us as we work in tandem to keep building across Northwest Iowa.”
“Buena Vista University is rightly known as an intellectual center for Northwest Iowa, but it is also a force for economic vitality and community cohesion,” says Kiley Miller, CEO of the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation. “With the Chairman’s Award, the Corridor celebrates both Buena Vista University’s tremendous recent successes and its very bright future.”
Storm Lake United honor
The second accolade came from Storm Lake United, which lauded BVU for the renovation of Siebens Forum, a project celebrated by hundreds in a formal grand opening at Cru5h Dining in January. The award, presented during Storm Lake United’s Annual Members Dinner in Siebens Forum, hailed BVU for “enhancing business growth and tourism in the Storm Lake Area.”
Gary Lalone, Storm Lake United executive director, noted how a completely renovated Siebens Forum came to life. This reborn space provides greater conferencing and event opportunities for the community, as well as Cru5h Dining, which many Storm Lake area residents, guests, and BVU alumni have enjoyed.
Siebens Forum was a showcase for Northwest Iowa when it opened in 1985. This Phase I renovation breathed new life into the University’s signature facility and has helped re-energize the campus and the surrounding community.