Campus gets $175,000 facelift with new signs

In what was the culmination of a ten-year plan, Luther College installed over $175,000 in new signs around campus over the summer.

“This has been part of a long term plan,” said Karen Martin-Schramm, the assistant to President Torgerson. “With the previous signs, they were mismatched. There just wasn’t any coordination. People used to joke that the old signs looked like they were from Camp Snoopy.”

As with any spending measure at Luther College, especially a six-figure one amidst rising tuition, a recession and numerous budget constraints, there are questions as to the necessity of a new and seemingly expensive endeavor.

However, Martin-Schramm explained the project was not a spur-of-the-moment spending decision.

Nearly ten years ago, a committee for new signs began saving money specifically designated for new signage. Additionally, part of the funding for the signs came from donors who wanted to contribute specifically to new signs around campus, not simply to any program or project at Luther.

An aesthetically pleasing campus is also helpful in recruiting new students.

“The first impression of a campus is very important when a student visits,” said Martin-Schramm.

The signs also are more clear and direct than they have been in the past, which was another recruiting concern.The signs were designed by a firm based in Grinnell, Iowa. After consulting the land use committee, the firm and Martin-Schramm’s committee decided to fashion the signs with a horizontally designed campus in mind. The signs are meant to be an allusion to Jens Jensen’s horizontally themed architecture.

“We wanted it to look collegiate, not businesslike,” said Martin-Schramm. “We wanted it to represent the geography of the region as well.”

The changes in signage have been well-received by many students, and their renewed visibility on campus highlights the necessity of the updates.

“We had old signs?” said Jayme McGrath, (’10). “I think [the new signs] look really nice.”