Campus and Visitor Relations: New name, same reliable resource

At a campus with more than 64,000 students, faculty and staff, 936 acres, and hundreds of departments, have you ever felt that finding an answer to your campus-related question was like looking for a needle in a haystack?

Although you may have established your campus “go-to” resources, it can still be difficult to keep up with the latest information, such as office moves or new programs.

This is where Campus and Visitor Relations comes in.

Campus and Visitor Relations, formerly Visitor & Information Programs, provides personalized information, experiences and connections for the campus community and beyond. Through working with Campus and Visitor Relations you, as faculty or staff, may:

• Get your campus-related questions answered through Ask Bucky email, chat and search.
• Schedule a campus tour for your conference visitors through the Campus Visit Program.
• Refer parents and families seeking assistance to the Parent Program.
• Encourage students seeking off-campus housing to utilize Campus Area Housing.

During the past year, the office connected with more than 3.3 million individuals — in person, electronically, over the phone and through events.

Steve Amundson, director of Campus and Visitor Relations, believes stronger partnerships have been key to expanding the impact of their programs and services in recent years.

“Our success is truly a team effort. We recognize and appreciate the critical role that many campus departments and community-based organizations play in ensuring that we deliver first-class service and quality programming.”

For example, by partnering with the Wisconsin Union, Campus and Visitor Relations’ staff assist hundreds of guests who visit Union South daily. Whether their questions relate to the campus, community or the Wisconsin Union, Campus and Visitor Relations’ staff are ready to help.

Located on the first floor of Union South, the Campus and Community Information welcome desk is a one-stop shop for assistance that has proven to be a visible and well-utilized resource, serving hundreds of thousands of guests since opening in 2011. Amundson is looking forward to implementing a similar presence in the newly renovated Memorial Union when phase one opens this summer.

To ensure Campus and Visitor Relations fulfills its mission as a central resource for campus, Amundson is hoping to work with more faculty and staff to build new partnerships as well as enhance existing ones.

He invites faculty or staff members who are interested in exploring ways to start or enhance a partnership with Campus and Visitor Relations to contact their office.

—Nick Gonzales