Gustavus’s marketing mission, according to their website, is “to advance Gustavus Adolphus College as a leading national, church-affiliated, liberal arts college.” A daunting task, made even more so by a crowded, disorganized space the department had been dealing with in the Edgar M. Carlson Administration Building.

In addition to the marketing department, this building housed the Administrative Information Systems, Alumni Relations, Finance Office, Institutional Advancement, the President’s Office, the Provost’s Office, Publications and the Registrar’s Office.

Construction has been a noticeable fixture on the Gustavus campus for the past few months, which is all part of a new vision of reorganizing and bettering the layout of the college. The marketing and communications department is one of the first to reap the benefits, receiving a completely renovated space, designed specifically for, and with the input of, the department in the Lundgren House.

Gwen Freed, vice president of marketing and communication, is excited about the new work space she and her team have the opportunity to work in. “The Lundgren House presented an opportunity for the marketing and communication team to have more space, and [a]better designed space, for our needs,” Freed said.

Dana Lamb, administrative coordinator, and Steve Waldhauser, director of editorial services, had the most input on the redesign, and Freed is excited about the results. They can “work smarter in this space, and handle the high volume of work very efficiently.”

The Lundgren House was formerly an Intentional Service and Learning (ILS) house, most recently housing students from the campus group Prepare Ministries.

The house, explained Stacia Vogel, assistant vice president of marketing and communication, instead of being completely remodeled, was redesigned around the existing structure. A kitchen that was located in the basement is still a kitchen. The cupboards and island from the main-floor kitchen are being utilized to store supplies for the team, and the cupboards from their previous space were also moved to the new offices.

The department learned of their pending move in 2009, and it couldn’t have been a smoother transition. “We didn’t miss a beat,” Freed said, commenting on the efficiency with which the staff was relocated. Everything was completed on schedule, and the space was well prepared for their arrival.

It’s the little things that made the biggest impact, Freed said including a closer proximity for the entire team, especially the graphic designers, who need to constantly collaborate in order to do their job. Other favorite additions were windows in all the offices and downstairs storage rooms for cumbersome files.

All of the marketing and communication department staff expressed excitement about the renovated space, and the Gustavus community can be happy about the environmentally friendly and economical way the construction was completed.