Sioux City, Iowa – A dedication ceremony for the Reynders Legacy Project will be held on Saturday, October 7, at 11:30 a.m., on the recently-constructed Reynders Plaza near the arch on the Morningside University campus. The public is cordially invited to attend the event, which will include special guests President Emeritus John Reynders and his wife Robin. A by-invitation tailgate luncheon will follow the ceremony.

The Reynders Legacy Project served as a tribute to John Reynders’ 23-year tenure at Morningside. The project was initiated by the Morningside University Board of Directors in 2020 and culminated at Reynders’ retirement in 2022, raising $1.3 million for the construction of a new front entrance including an arch and plaza, as well as a remodel of the Lewis Hall lobby.

President Emeritus John Reynders’ spent more than 20 years leading an almost a total transformation of Morningside’s physical campus, with a front entrance being one of the final outstanding elements. The Board of Directors selected the project as a way to honor John and Robin upon their retirement, with Dr. Esther Mackintosh, chair of Morningside University’s Board of Directors, noting, “We are delighted that John and Robin will be back in Sioux City to witness the realization of this vision and to commemorate the project’s completion.”

John Reynders assumed the position of Morningside’s twelfth president in 1999. His tenure witnessed the two largest capital fundraising campaigns in the university’s history, which included more than $70 million in campus renovations and updates. The Reynders era also saw Morningside Athletics’ transition from NCAA Division II to NAIA, the institution’s status upgrade from Morningside College to Morningside University, and the implementation of numerous academic initiatives that elevated Morningside’s stature. President Emeritus Reynders retired in June 2022.