The traditional first stop on prospective students’ campus tours will have a different look next year after the Office of Undergraduate Admissions undergoes a $1.3 million renovation, beginning this quarter.

The Office of Student Loans moved Monday to 1007 Church St. as the second step in the project, which will revamp all three floors of the admissions office by the end of May 2001, said Rebecca Dixon, associate provost for university enrollment.

“We don’t have enough space on campus to meet all the needs,” Dixon said. “While I’m regretful that the loan office has to move, we just don’t have enough space. We seem to do nothing but grow.”

The loan office will re-open today for students to sign promissory notes at its new location, said Paola Di Domenico, the office’s director.

Di Domenico said the office will try to work with students through e-mail when they can’t make the trip to the more distant office.

She also said the office will install a campus phone so students can call the Office of Financial Aid to clear up any problems. Students previously could walk down the hall.

“The three offices work pretty closely together, so it’s easy to get us confused,” Di Domenico said. “We know it’s not going to be as convenient, but this is a temporary move.”

Although on-campus space isn’t available for the office yet, Di Domenico said the provost’s office is trying to move it back to campus soon.

Dixon said the renovation of 1801 Hinman Ave. is important because the office is often the first impression students have of NU. But the current setup, which has been in place since the office moved into the building in 1985, makes the reception area and welcome desk hard to find for prospective students, she said.

“Now they come in and stare at the stairs and aren’t sure where they are,” she said. “We are continuing to have many more visitors and that’s part of why we’re renovating — to try to open up the building and make it more attractive. It will be much more inviting.”

Dixon said she and other staff members, who don’t regularly interact with prospective students and their parents, will move to the building’s third floor to make more room on the first floor for greeting visitors.

The project started three weeks ago when the basement was gutted and a back entryway was built for deliveries.

Last year the Work-Study Office moved from the building into space next door at 1815 Hinman Ave., which also houses members of the history department.

Dixon said the admissions office might expand to its neighboring building in the future if space can be found in Harris Hall for the additional history faculty members.

She added that the demands for the office’s space could level off once it transfers more of its services to the Internet, requiring fewer students to visit the office.

“We’re beginning to explore more of those opportunities, but we’re not at the point yet where we can stop offering what we do now,” Dixon said.