CWU-Pierce to co-host grand reopening event April 23

CWU-Pierce will be co-hosting a grand reopening event on Wednesday, April 23, to celebrate its return to the Olympic South building after it was closed for the past five years.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony and presentation will take place at 3 p.m. on the Pierce College Fort Steilacoom campus in Lakewood. CWU President Jim Wohlpart will deliver remarks, along with Pierce College District Chancellor and CEO Julie White, Lakewood Mayor Jason Whalen, and other local dignitaries.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony concludes, attendees will be invited to a reception in the second-floor art gallery. Student-led tours of the new building will also be offered.

CWU-Pierce Regional Director David Mulkey said his team is looking forward to returning to the Olympic South building, which was torn down in 2020.

“We’ve been working out of a temporary facility for the past five years, and we’re all really excited to return to a larger space again,” Mulkey said. “We did the best we could in our temporary space, but our staff is looking forward to a new beginning.”

The CWU-Pierce University Center relocated to a smaller location on the Pierce College Fort Steilacoom campus five years ago and has been housed in a smaller space ever since.

Now that the building has been rebuilt, CWU-Pierce will occupy the third floor of the 37,500-square-foot Olympic South building.

“This is going to be a great opportunity for us to start over,” Mulkey said. “Being on the third floor, we have really good views and lots of natural light. It’s a place that people are going to want to hang out in.”

Pierce College will occupy the first two floors of the building, with the second floor reserved as an art gallery and performing arts space. The college’s music program will also occupy the second floor, while the ground floor will house the early childhood development program.

Mulkey is hoping that a return to Olympic South will provide CWU-Pierce with some momentum as it begins to prepare for the 2025-26 academic year.

“Our goal is to rebuild and refill,” Mulkey said. “We have a strong alumni network in this area, and now we have a space where they can come together and have a high-end experience. We want people in Pierce County and around the region to know that our doors are open and we’re here to serve them.”