With hundreds of community members on hand to celebrate, Oct. 6, Interim President Dick Helton announced that ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ has raised 83 percent of the funds required to begin construction of the university's new Health, Wellness and Athletics Complex, signaling the official start of the public phase of the campaign.
"We are making history today at ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥," Helton said. "By entering the public phase of the campaign, we are one step closer to reimagining and redefining health, wellness and athletics in NCAA Division III."
ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥'s historic restoration and expansion project is designed to touch the lives of current students, staff and faculty, as well as many in the greater Springfield community.
In addition to restoring the 1929 field house and the 1982 Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) Center, the university's plan includes the construction of a new 125,000-square-foot indoor athletic facility attached to the north end of the HPER Center. The updated facilities will help with student recruitment and retention, and allow the university to attract regional and national events that it currently cannot host. ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ has about 1,800 students and more than 350 employees.