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Lindsey Wilson University Opens Alumni Lounge in Sue Cravens Stivers Alumni House

'It's nice to have a place for alumni to always go when they come home to campus.'

by Duane Bonifer

COLUMBIA, Ky. (07/20/2025) — Lindsey Wilson University alumni celebrated a new landing place on campus on Saturday, July 19, as more than two dozen Blue Raiders gathered to christen the Alumni Lounge in the Sue Cravens Stivers Alumni House.

The inviting, renovated space on the building's first floor includes a spacious meeting area, conference room and kitchen, which features snacks, a coffee and espresso machine, and soft drinks. The lounge's walls and rooms are adorned with dozens of Lindsey Wilson relics that have been collected and donated over the years, including diplomas, class pictures and a classic Blue Raider athletics varsity jacket.

"This is a way for us to give something back to our alumni, who have done so much for this university over the years," said Lindsey Wilson Director of Alumni Relations Allison Cross '09. "We look forward to hosting a lot of alumni visitors in this space."

Cross said that she expects a lot of visitors from Lindsey Wilson's six-county area of Adair, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, Russell and Taylor counties. More than 5,700 alumni, which is more than 25% of living Blue Raider alumni, reside in that six-county area.

"This will be a great space for area alumni to use whenever they are on campus, as well as those alumni from all over the country who only get to visit campus when they have a reunion or an opportunity to swing through the region," she said.

'Labor of love'

Work on the renovation began in early June, and as Cross pointed out it was "a true labor of love and a great example of teamwork at Lindsey Wilson." Cross and her co-workers in the Lindsey Wilson Development Office contributed their labor to the project, and it also received a lot of help from the university's talented craftsmen in Physical Plant, especially from Jeff Stevens and electrician Travis Brown.

"Everyone knows that Lindsey Wilson has an amazing Physical Plant staff," said Cross. "But when you get a chance to work closely with them on a project like this, you see just how incredibly talented they are."

With Lindsey Wilson now a university, Cross said there has been a lot of interest among alumni to reconnect with their alma mater, which often includes a visit to the campus. Because Lindsey Wilson's A.P. White Campus has undergone such a dramatic transformation over the last 25 years, the Stivers Alumni House is one of the familiar buildings for a lot of alumni. Creating an Alumni Lounge in the Stivers Alumni House was a perfect project because it gives alumni a central gathering place on campus, said Cross.

Sue Stivers' influence

Lindsey Wilson acquired the Stivers Building in the late 1990s and then named it in 2008 in honor of Sue Cravens Stivers, who was a longtime Adair County leader and Lindsey Wilson trustee. Stivers died in 2022.

"Sue would have loved that a building bearing her name features a place that welcomes alumni and friends to campus because hospitality was central to her life," said Cross.

For 20 years, Stivers taught etiquette every summer to the Center for Rural Development's Rogers Scholars.

"I remember Sue telling the students stories of her times at different dinners and how she once met JFK," said Cross. "She would always throw in a joke here and there -- the kids loved her. It was usually their favorite night of the program. Those kids left campus a better person in part because of her."

'Lindsey WIlson is always home'

Lindsey Wilson National Alumni Association President Tanner Strein '13 said the Alumni Lounge "makes a wonderful addition to our Alumni House."

"It's just another example that Lindsey Wilson is always here for our alumni," he said.

Alex Strein '15, who is immediate past president of the Lindsey Wilson National Alumni Association, said the Alumni Lounge "is a reminder that Lindsey Wilson is always home."

"No matter what we call Lindsey Wilson, it is always going to be home for alumni," she said. "It's nice to have a place for alumni to always go when they come home to campus."

Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university's 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.

Media Attachments

Lindsey Wilson University men’s basketball coach Chris Starks and trustee Linda King ’67 of Louisville, Kentucky, enjoy a conversation during the Saturday, July 19, reception for the Alumni Lounge in the Sue Cravens Stivers Alumni House.

Lindsey Wilson University physics professor Mark McKinnon, center, makes a point as human resources specialist Kimberly Harden ’22 and campus chaplain the Rev. Tyler Brumfield listen during the opening on Saturday, July 19, of the Alumni Lounge in the Sue Cravens Stivers Alumni House.

Lindsey Wilson University Director of Alumni Relations Allison Cross ’09 and Vice President for Development Kevin A. Thompson pause for a picture on Saturday, July 19, during the opening of the Alumni Lounge in the Sue Cravens Stivers Alumni House.

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