The Ellsworth and Virginia Hill Welcome Center and Schingoethe Museum provides distinguished gathering spaces for campus and community functions. The center serves as the central gathering place for prospective students, alumni, and current students.

The warm, inviting, and versatile Welcome Center features a small library and reading nook with a fireplace that opens into a large comfortable seating area. The well-appointed adjoining dining room allows for a variety of receptions and events and can serve as an intimate space for a dinner function or as a conference space, extending the university's tradition for hospitality.

The full kitchen allows events to be catered directly in the building without relying on food services from elsewhere on campus. Other distinctive gathering spaces in the center include the Ethel Tapper Recital Hall, offering an intimate performance space for up to 80 guests; the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Gallery, a resource for the entire community; and the Schingoethe Museum, providing opportunities for cultural exhibitions and displaying the rich history of the university and the Fox Valley Community in large gallery spaces. The museum's art gallery showcases professional and student artists in several exhibitions during the year.