BY Alex Gary - November 14th 2024

 

BELOIT

Wisconsin, city of Beloit and Beloit College officials celebrated the “official” reopening of the Robert H. Morse Library, which underwent a $10 million expansion and renovation project over the past 16 months.

In reality, students have been using the library since the start of the semester. Still, Thursday’s ceremony drew more than 100 community members who wanted to get a look at the refurbished library. It includes a new community entrance on the north side of the lower level, as well as classroom and work space for the college’s Career Works office and Impact Beloit, the college’s career readiness and community involvement initiative.

The state was the big backer behind the project. Beloit College received a $9 million grant from Wisconsin’s Neighborhood Investment Fund.

Tim Leslie, vice president of strategic planning and career development, who also is executive director of Impact Beloit, said the library already is serving as a central meeting space for students to study and work on projects.

“People think students just stay in their rooms, but students do like spaces that are semi-communal, semi-private,” said Leslie, who graduated from Beloit College in 1989 before earning a law degree and becoming a corporate lawyer for Amazon. “There is a real evolution of space. People like a place to come to and commune. This has an Irontek kind of feel. That’s what we were going for.”

Leslie was excited Thursday to talk about the growth of Impact Beloit. It launched in the spring of 2022 with 10 students. Three served fellowships at Beloit nonprofits and seven served internships with local businesses.

This fall, Impact Beloit has 28 students serving fellowships or internships at 10 nonprofits and 13 businesses. The goal is to grow that to 50 by next year. The interest is there. Leslie said 75 students applied this fall for the program. The key is getting more organizations and businesses as partners.

“We could look north at Janesville or south at Rockford, but we want to focus on Beloit,” Leslie said. “It’s not just experience these kids are gaining. We’ve already had some get offered jobs and decide to stay in Beloit.”

Sam Irwin, a senior from Eureka, Missouri, is serving an internship at Beloit Health System. Irwin is a psychology and cognitive science major at Beloit College and she said she’s serving almost as a “secret shopper” for the health system.

“I’ve gone through employee trainings, taking notes on how the trainings come off to employees,” Irwin said. “I’ve visited Beloit Clinic, NorthPointe (Clinic). I’m going to do an overnight in the (emergency room). I’m evaluating the patient-employee experience with an emphasis on the patient.”

Irwin said she applied to Impact Beloit because she wanted to a chance to get into the Beloit community more often. It has met her expectations and hopes more Beloit businesses get involved so Impact Beloit can accept more students.

“We’re all college students with different perspectives and learning a lot about theories and best practices,” Irwin said. “I’m learning a lot, but I feel like I’m contributing with my knowledge as well.”

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