Hal and Benna Wilde Res/Rec Center Dedicated in Honor of Ninth President

Over the course of its 164-year history, North Central College has only had 12 presidents. During its 2025 Homecoming Weekend, the College hosted a special event to honor its ninth president, Dr. Harold R. “Hal” Wilde, and his wife Benna.

North Central alumni, students, leaders, and members of the Wilde family gathered for a ceremony to dedicate the Hal & Benna Wilde Residence Hall/Recreation Center. The newly renamed building was constructed and completed in 2009, during Wilde’s presidency.

“North Central College would not be the institution it is today without Hal’s visionary leadership,” said President Abiódún Gòkè-Paríolá. “This dedication marks a fitting tribute to a president who transformed our campus and our place in the higher education landscape.”
 

The Wilde Presidency

Wilde served as North Central’s president from March 1991 through December 2012. His nearly 22-year tenure as president is the second-longest in the College’s history, behind only Edward Everett Rall, who served for 30 years, from 1916 to 1946. During Wilde’s more than two decades at the helm, North Central’s full-time undergraduate student enrollment doubled from 1,250 to 2,500 students. A prolific fundraiser, Wilde grew the College’s endowment from less than $10,000 million in 1991 to $95 million at the time of his retirement. He also secured funding for 13 endowed professorships across various disciplines, enabling the College to continue to attract and retain high-quality faculty.

During Wilde’s presidency, the College’s physical footprint grew from 500,000 to one million square feet. He oversaw 15 major construction projects, including the total renovation of Old Main, and the addition of marquee buildings like the Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center and Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium.
 

A Two-in-One Facility

The innovative Hal and Benna Wilde Residence Hall/Recreation Center was built to deliver on two pressing needs at the time: increased residence hall capacity due to swelling enrollment, and a state-of-the-art indoor training and competition facility to accommodate the College’s national caliber track & field programs. The 100,000 square-foot structure houses approximately 400 students and is also home to the NCAA-regulation Al B. Carius Track, an elevated walking track, multipurpose athletic courts, training and locker rooms, and a fitness center.

The two-in-one residence hall and recreation facility not only conserved green space on campus. It prioritized sustainability by incorporating unique features including a geothermal heating and cooling system, energy-efficient windows and lighting, and water-efficient fixtures. The building is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
 

A Fitting Tribute

“Hal is a person who cares about people, and a person who cares so much about North Central College,” said Lisa Pettaway ’94 M’00, senior philanthropy officer, who was both a student and a colleague during Wilde’s presidency. “I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to Hal and Benna to commemorate the remarkable legacy they have left throughout the decades past and for the future to come than the naming of the Hal and Benna Res/Rec Center.”

“Benna and I are humbled and deeply grateful for this honor,” said Wilde. “Putting the president’s name (on this building) should be seen as a shorthand for the many trustees, faculty, and staff colleagues, and the alumni and community supporters who did the heavy lifting — and who made our time here so full of never to be forgotten moments, so much joy, and love.”

To view the full dedication ceremony, visit the North Central College YouTube page.