Newly appointed Memorial Union Director Richard Reynolds faces the task of guiding the Memorial Union from private corporation to a university-owned building.

Reynolds, who formally took over the position last Monday, said he hopes to bring many new ideas with him for the future of the MU during the transition.

“My experience has always been with union centers or college unions that are part of the university as a whole,” he said. “[Iowa State University officials] thought with my previous experience, I could help transition from a private corporation to the university.”

Reynolds said he looks forward to the opportunities this brings.

“As a private corporation, [the MU] couldn’t really move very far because of its lack of assets,” he said.

Now that the MU is backed by the university, it will be able to experience some debt in order to improve the facility, he said.

Reynolds said other advantages of university ownership include better control of costs.

“By working through the university, we will be able to take advantage of the pricing that is available to them,” he said.

Reynolds said a disadvantage of university ownership will be tracking down funds to pay for the improvements.

“The MU is an aging facility and we need to find money to fund [changes],” he said.

Reynolds said he was excited by the renovation project planned for the MU.

He also stressed the importance of setting up a multicultural center at the MU. Reynolds said he hopes a multicultural center will attract people of all backgrounds.

Reynolds said he plans to form student focus groups to help define the MU’s future multicultural center.

“Everybody’s probably got a different feel of what a cultural center looks like,” he said. “We just need to find out what it looks like for Iowa State.”

Reynolds said he also plans on fixing the “dim lighting” of the MU. He said a plan being considered involves knocking out the wall behind the food court area and adding windows to provide a better view of campus, as well as installing energy efficient lighting throughout the MU.

Reynolds also said he wants to bring more of the entertainment and programs offered by the MU to students by extending them beyond the walls of the MU and onto campus. He said it is important to make students aware the MU is integrated with the university.

Terry Mason, who served as the interim director of the MU during the search process, said Reynolds, with his outstanding background and skills with running a union, is the type of person that can take the steps needed to bring the MU to the next level.

Kathy Svec, program coordinator for the MU, said Reynolds was a favorite candidate of many of the MU administration following his visit this past summer.

Svec said she recognized Reynolds’ genuine interest in becoming director after he spent time talking with employees and staff and spending much time in the building during his visit.

“We were just all very impressed,” she said.

Having worked at the MU for 25 years, Svec has personally known the first two MU directors and served under the last two.

“I am eager to see what the new chapters of the Memorial Union will contain,” Svec said. “Richard will be a great author, if you will, to take us there.”