After several months of construction, Wildcat Central opened its doors Monday, providing students with the opportunity to access academic advising and student services in one location.

With the start of the spring semester came the opening of Wildcat Central, the permanent home of Student Services, formerly The Depot, and Academic Advising. Wildcat Central is located in the Campus Center in the area that once hosted Mail Services and the Living Room.

The two teams located inside Wildcat Central, the advising team and the Student Services team,  offer the same services they once did before they were under the same roof. In the Student Services area of Wildcat Central, students can do things like replace their student I.D. and meet with a financial aid counselor. And in the Academic Advising area of the center, students can set appointments with an academic adviser to discuss class registration and degree plans.

Brett Butler, director of student administrative services, offered an example of how putting these two teams in one location can help a student balance their academic pursuits and the cost of education.

“Affordability can sometimes be a hurdle when a student is working to stay on track for graduation, but a financial hold is preventing registration,” Butler said. “Rather than asking the student to make another appointment with a financial aid counselor, only to return later, the adviser and a counselor can collaborate in the moment to work with the student toward a solution.”

Butler said the concept of Wildcat Central was several years in the making after feedback from students, staff and faculty, and as the center has finished construction, Butler said he and other staff members look toward improving the ease in which students navigate their administrative duties and needs.

“I expect that Wildcat Central will continue to evolve as we receive more feedback from the Wildcat family,” Butler said. “We will continue to expand and improve our services to make the administrative part of attending ACU easier and more relational. The Student Services and Academic Advising teams are quickly learning from one another, and I expect that time will only make our partnership stronger.”