The official groundbreaking ceremony for Andrews University’s new Health & Wellness Center will take place on Monday, March 5, 2018, at 5 p.m. in the Howard Performing Arts Center on campus. The program and shovel brigade will be followed by a short reception. All are welcome to attend.

The $17.5 million, 76,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019. It will have a swimming pool, a recreation and event center with basketball courts, fitness and exercise areas, and space for educational programs. The Oronoko Township Planning Commission approved the site plan and a special-use permit for Indiana Michigan Power Company at a meeting on Feb. 6, 2018.

David Faehner, vice president for University Advancement, and Andrea Luxton, Andrews University president, will open the groundbreaking program. Andrew von Maur, professor of architecture, will provide an architectural perspective, and Dominique Gummelt, director for University Health & Wellness, will present an overview of Andrews University’s ongoing health and wellness initiative. Artur Stele, chair of the Andrews University Board of Trustees, will offer a prayer of dedication.

Additional members of the Board of Trustees and President’s Council, President Emeritus Niels-Erik Andreasen, and individuals from the university’s administration and student body will participate in the shovel brigade.

Construction began in September 2017 with the demolition of Hazen’s Concrete Wall sculpture, which was located in the PMC traffic circle (formerly referred to as Hammill’s Halo). At the same time, trees that were to be removed were marked. Most of the logs from the trees are being used as timber for an addition to the architecture building. The remaining trees will be ground into woodchips to be used on the nature trails behind the new Wellness Center location. Some large trees were saved as a buffer between Pioneer Memorial Church and the Wellness Center.

A new parking lot for visitors to the Wellness Center is almost complete and is already being used as overflow for services at Pioneer Memorial Church. Currently, approval is pending for parking lot lighting. Seventy-five percent of the storm sewer has been installed and rerouting of the water lines has been done. Construction is expected to resume in March, and a web camera will be installed to provide a live view as the center takes shape.

For additional updates on the Health & Wellness Center, visit andrews.edu/wellnesscenter.

Founded in 1874, Andrews University is the flagship institution of higher education for the Seventh-day Adventist Church and offers more than 200 areas of study including advanced degrees. Its main campus is in Berrien Springs, Michigan, but the University also provides instruction at colleges and universities in 19 countries around the world.