Midway University has broken ground for a new 20,000 square-foot recreational facility on its campus. Members of the Board of Trustees and honored guests were on hand for the official ceremony for what will be known as the Hunter Field House.
The standalone building will be located near the McManis Student Center. When completed, it will house most of Midway’s Athletics staff and coaches as well as provide an auxiliary gymnasium, an elevated walking track, two locker rooms, a recruitment conference room and a much-needed weight and cardio room.
“We are excited to add this new facility to our campus,” said Board Chair Donna Moore Campbell. “We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the inspirational lead gift for this project given by board member Jan Hunter and her husband, Richard.”
“The need for this new facility is tremendous due to our rapid growth following coeducation in 2016 and the expansion of both men’s and women’s athletic teams,” said Dr. John P. Marsden, President of Midway University. The field house will help us better serve our 400+ student-athletes, as well as provide a multi-purpose space to utilize for other campus programming that will benefit all our students.”
Construction will begin immediately with a target completion date of the end of 2019, so the building can be opened for the Spring 2020 semester.
The field house is part of the Campaign of Opportunities, which was launched in response to the rapid growth the University experienced after going co-ed in 2016, along with expanding athletics. The main goals of the campaign are to raise funds for improvements to some existing facilities and construction of new facilities. Aside from the new field house, the campaign already has funded some renovations to the existing residence halls and, when the campaign closes out, another groundbreaking will occur for an on-campus baseball stadium. To date, the University has amassed over 90% of the pledges needed to successfully complete the campaign.