With almost two years of construction on Old Main nearing completion, a pair of university offices is moving in to take advantage of the geography and history behind the UA’s oldest building.

The offices for undergraduate admissions recruitment, the vice provost of enrollment management and the dean of admissions are all relocating to the basement of Old Main beginning today and expect to be mostly installed by the end of tomorrow.

The greatest benefit of the moves, which will involve the transfer of about 30 employees and their files, will come in the way of attracting new students, said Kasey Urquidez, director of undergraduate recruitment in the Office of Admissions.

“”Our team is so excited to be in the heart of campus and be able to showcase the beauty the campus holds to the (prospective) students who visit every day,”” she said.

Old Main, erected in 1891, is the UA’s first building. It’s been undergoing a $4.6 million renovation since April 2006, according to Facilities Design and Construction.

The building will be clear of fences and presiding dust in mid-February, pending the installation of a new stairway, said Chris Kraft, the project’s manager.

The renovation has centered on gutting and replacing old and decrepit materials on two floors. The wooden stairway leading up to the east entrance, a mainstay for about 30 years, was slated for replacement after being considered “”rotten,”” Kraft said.

The new stairway will be made of steel and concrete and will bear a strong visual resemblance to its predecessor, he said.

The three offices are relocating from the Arizona International Campus North, 1618 E. Helen St.

With its move, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Recruitment will unite all of its services save for its Arizona Ambassador tour program and its processing team, the latter of which will remain in the Robert L. Nugent building.

The program, which offers student-led tours to prospective Wildcats, will remain based out of the UofA Bookstore until Feb. 11, Urquidez said.

Current students stand to gain from the relocations from a simplicity standpoint, said Paul Kohn, vice provost for enrollment management and the dean of admissions.

“”It’s going to be so much more convenient for them – convenient to find us, come to get to us,”” he said. “”Our previous location might have been something of an enigma, something of a mystery.””

Today is the last day for prospective freshmen and transfer and international students to receive services at AIC North.

While the main phone line will be down, students can stop in or e-mail questions to admissions@arizona.edu.