The Neal Welcome Center will be done in time to greet new students and their families for fall semester.

John Label, executive officer for the EIU Foundation said Wednesday that construction on the Neal Welcome Center is “making good progress” and should open on schedule in July.

Outside work on the building is nearing completion as crews finish bricking and outside concrete work.

Workers have constructed protective pockets along the sides of the building so they can lay brick in cold weather. Also, the Porte Cochiere, the structural awning above the entrance, is only a metal frame now, but concrete and brick work will soon be underway.

Concentration has now shifted to completing the inside of the building, installing dry wall and hooking up phone and computer lines, Label said.

“We are very pleased with the progress so far,” he said. “We have had good weather so people can work right along.”

Label said he hopes the building itself will be done by July, but the final phase of construction, the parking lot and landscape, won’t start until the actual building is finished.

The EIU Foundation is planning a grand opening for the Neal Center, but Label said the building had to be closer to completion to set a date.

The Neal Welcome Center, which broke ground on Nov. 30, will provide information about the university to prospective students and parents and add 64 new parking spaces to alleviate visitor parking problems. Label said transportation to campus will be provided from the Neal Welcome Center to campus.

The building will also be the new home for the EIU Foundation, the development office and admissions office.

The EIU Foundation funded the $2 million project, including the land purchase, using contributions from Burnham Neal, his wife Nancy and his sister Rosemary, Label said.

“The Burnhams (Neals) are in a position where they can be very helpful to us, and we are grateful for their help and generosity,” Label said.

“(Burnham) is a former member of the (EIU Foundation) board and believes that Eastern is a valuable resource for Central Illinois,” he said.

The EIU Foundation accepts contributions on behalf of the university for scholarships or projects.