Trustees Authorize Construction of $30 Million Student Recreation Center

New facility to open in January 2012

** See floor plans and more artist's renderings**

WOOSTER, Ohio, Mar. 1 -- The College of Wooster’s board of trustees voted Saturday to authorize construction of a $30 million, 123,000 square foot Student Recreation Center. The new facility, which will be connected to the existing Armington Physical Education Center, is scheduled to open in January 2012. First-year students who enter Wooster this fall will be able to use the new center by the second semester of their sophomore year.

The Student Recreation Center will have four intramural courts for basketball, tennis and volleyball; an NCAA regulation 200 meter running track; indoor long jump, triple jump and pole vault; a fitness center with a full array of circuit training stations, traditional as well as elliptical running machines, rowing machines, and free weights; new locker rooms; batting cages and other equipment for indoor baseball practice; and new athletic department offices and meeting rooms.

The center’s design and construction will incorporate environmentally friendly, energy efficient, and sustainable building practices, and the college intends to seek LEED Silver certification for the new facility from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Despite having to buck the economic headwinds of a major recession, fund raising results for the project have been encouraging, with some $22 million in gifts and pledges to date.

“One of the things I admire about Wooster is that we have invested deeply in our core mission, building the best classrooms, studios, laboratories, and libraries,” said President Grant Cornwell. “It is now time to turn our attention to the facilities that contribute to the quality of campus life for all of our students. That our trustees have led the way in making such generous commitments in this economic climate tells me that they, too, see this project as a strategic priority for Wooster.”

The Student Recreation Center is phase one of a long-term master plan to create a Campus Center which will ultimately involve renovating the college’s existing athletic facilities and student center, and linking them together to create what the vision statement for the project calls a new “heart and hub of our campus community.”

The College of Wooster is an independent liberal arts college, nationally recognized for an innovative curriculum that emphasizes mentored, independent research. Each Wooster senior works one-on-one with a faculty adviser to create an original research project, written work, performance or art exhibit. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately 1,800 students.