Andra Bryan Stefanoni: A sneak peek inside University House

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June 10, 2012

Andra Bryan Stefanoni: A sneak peek inside University House

By Andra Bryan Stefanoni news@joplinglobe.com The Joplin Globe Sun Jun 10, 2012, 05:52 PM CDT

PITTSBURG, Kan. — For the first time since he took office in 2009, Pittsburg State University President Steve Scott and wife Cathy are living on campus.

They moved into the newly completed private quarters of the University House just before Memorial Day, and they extended an offer to let me peek in last week.

I couldn’t help but have flashbacks to college some 20-plus years ago, when every fall afternoon I rehearsed with the marching band on the practice field just east of what was then called the President’s House.

It was a simple, beige, circa 1954 ranch style home on a narrow, tree-lined driveway that was difficult to turn around in and even more difficult to back out of. Picturesque, to be sure, in its setting by the University Lake and parklike landscaping. But a place to entertain foreign dignitaries, visiting scholars, alumni, donors, future faculty or student recruits, or honored guests it was not.

On occasions that I visited there with former Presidents Don Wilson and wife Kathy, and Tom Bryant and wife Koeta, like other visitors, I put my coat on their bed and used their own restroom. Caterers prepared refreshments in their kitchen.

While there’s something to be said for an informal, down-to-earth feeling in Pittsburg, it couldn’t have afforded them much privacy — particularly when the events held there numbered in the hundreds each year.

Today, it will be different: There is a clear delineation between what the president and his family call home, and the space in which they entertain anyone not related to them. The $1.75 million price tag is being paid entirely by private donations, with donors signing pledges that it would not affect their giving in other areas.

Here are the highlights:

• The 6,500-square-foot home includes 3,200 square feet where the Scotts live. This replaces the former 4,200-square-foot President’s House. The Scotts’ quarters are on the south side, and Cathy decorated using the Scotts’ own furnishings, which lean toward farmhouse style.

A private patio is bordered with a privacy fence, also a first for the university’s first family.

• The remainder of the space, 3,300 square feet, is for use by the public and is clearly laid out as such. A separate entrance into an arched foyer reveals a view beyond of the lake’s fountain, but it also reveals a closed, locked door, complete with peephole and keyhole, to the president’s home.

While Crossland Construction still is working on the public side of the house, enough has been finished to provide a sense of its style and function.

• A great room will accommodate at least 60 seated guests for dining at round tables in a light-filled space anchored by a stone fireplace. A large-screen monitor will allow for viewing whatever is on the Jungletron in the nearby football stadium, as well as digital presentations.

• An adjacent dining room will accommodate buffets of food, or seating for 20 in a more intimate setting; the previous dining room could accommodate six.

• An adjacent catering kitchen will allow food to be brought in and prepared for serving. A washing machine and dryer downstairs prevent linens from being cleaned in the president’s family laundry.

• A public sitting room provides a place for the president to have private conversations in a living room atmosphere without taking visitors into his private residence, and an adjacent guest suite allows for overnight stays. Previously, visiting scholars or dignitaries stayed right next door to the Bryants’ bedroom, and in recent years they were provided a hotel room off campus.

• Basements on each side of the University House were added to the plans after the Joplin tornado.

• Sustainable construction techniques have been employed, and many mature trees were left untouched.

The style and elegance of the home are in keeping with nearby Timmons Chapel, from which the architect took cues. At first glance, it looks like it’s always been there. But perhaps more importantly, the functionality of the home is more in keeping with what a modern presidential family wants — and needs.

The Scotts can close the door to their home and know that in an hour, 30 staff members won’t be traipsing through their living room setting up hors d’oeuvres.

HAVE AN IDEA for a column? Email astefanoni@joplinglobe.com, or visit Facebook at Andra Bryan Stefanoni, Staff Writer - The Joplin Globe. Visit the Globe’s newest Facebook page at Joplin Globe: Pittsburg, Kan.

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