| Aquinas College announced plans on August 26, 2009, to begin its $12 million Sports and Fitness Center project by renovating the existing Fieldhouse. The new facility is designed to benefit the College's athletic program and general wellness of the campus community, as well as aid in student recruitment and retention. |
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The project will feature a new fitness center, a new competition court for basketball and volleyball with seating for 2,000, new main floor locker rooms, three classrooms, a conference room, hospitality room and offices for both faculty and staff. In addition, the project will provide the facility requirements necessary for recertification of the College's Athletic Training Education program.
The Fieldhouse renovation project is important for the College from several perspectives, according to President Ed Balog. |
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| "It contributes to our academic program by providing more classroom space for athletic training along with our Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) majors," Balog said. "It provides us with a competition facility that is comparable to our peer institutions and one that is equal in quality to our athletic programs. And it also provides a fitness center that will benefit the entire campus community." |
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| Athletic Director Terry Bocian says the project is important now. |
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| "It will meet the national standards for our athletic training program, it will give us flexibility in scheduling of classes, practices, and events, and we will have a versatile facility that will fit the needs of the entire AQ community," Bocian concluded. |
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| In recent years, Aquinas has completed a new student housing apartment building, new library and new performing arts center. Officials believe the athletic department project was the next logical step. The renovation project also is designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, incorporating geothermal heating technology as well as solar collectors. |
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The 44,000 square foot Fieldhouse was built in 1969 and initially served 100 student-athletes playing in eight varsity sports. Today, more than 400 student-athletes are involved in 21 varsity sports. And while the College offers just nine intramural sports for the campus community, participation in those areas has nearly tripled during the same period.
Institutional Advancement Vice President Greg McAleenan says the Fieldhouse renovation project is a significant milestone in the overall Aquinas College Sports and Fitness Center campaign, but notes that more remains to be done. |
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| "We are very excited to be past the halfway point in our campaign and able to start the renovation of the existing field house," he stated, "but this project won't be complete until we have raised all of the money needed to complete both phases of the Sports and Fitness Center Campaign. I have no doubt that our alumni will rise to the occasion and help us reach that goal within the year." |
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| The 10-month-long project is slated to begin in September with an expected completion by early next summer. |
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| The lead donors on the campaign are Peter and Carolyn Sturrus of Grand Haven, Bob and Cherie VanderWeide of the VanderWeide Family Foundation in Grand Rapids and Peter Wege of the Wege Foundation in East Grand Rapids. |
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The $6 million Phase Two segment of the AQ Sports and Fitness Center campaign, a 69,690 square foot multipurpose center, will be added to the west side of the existing Fieldhouse. The expansion will include a 200-meter NCAA certified track; off-season practice areas for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse; courts for intramural basketball, volleyball, cheerleading and dance and spectator seating for 300. The College hopes to begin work on the second phase of the campaign during the 2011 academic year. |
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| Fact Sheets (pdf): |
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| For more information on the Aquinas College Sports and Fitness Center campaign, contact: |
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