A new $6.5 million, 24,000-gross-square-foot Wellness Center at the University of Nebraska at Kearney had its grand opening Aug. 27.
Designed by LEO A DALY, the two-story addition to UNK Cushing Arena features a state-of-the-art workout facility on the first level and a new home for UNK’s Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Leisure Studies on the second.
Available to UNK’s 7,000 students and 370 faculty members, the first-story gym features cardio and strength-training equipment, a climbing wall and a social hub. The second-story Physical Activity and Wellness Lab contains a specialized research studio, offices, research labs, classrooms and a demonstration kitchen for classes and community-based programming. The expanded lab space increases the capacity of the growing department, which has tripled in size to 290 students over the last decade.
“This is going to be a recruitment feature for new students to come to UNK, and it’s going to be a retention tool for students at UNK,” said Scot Fransk, assistant director of campus recreation in the Department of Kinesiology and Sports Sciences, in a prepared statement.
