Last year, the University of Lincoln Nebraska moved from the Big 12 Tournament into the Big 10 Tournament. With a higher standing of athleticism, Associate Director for Facilities and Operation, Amy Lanham, saw a need to update UNL’s rec centers.
“We were really running out of space for the national projection as to what we should have for student population. And in order to achieve excellence and efficiency, we wanted to have better facilities for students,” Lanham said.
UNL has three different recreation facilities – Campus Recreation Center, Fleming Field Annex Building (city campus) and the Recreation and Wellness Center (East Campus.) In October of 2012, a referendum was passed by UNL students to update each of the centers.
Since then, Lanham described the renovations as a “domino affect” to update the city center and completely renovate the Recreation and Wellness Center.
“Every three years (we conduct) a survey of our student population,” explained Lanham. “And always No. 1 on that was their feedback to us about not enough cardio, not enough room for strength training and conditioning. So, as we looked at that, we have an advisory council of students as well, and we had some conversations with them.”
Their first step was a renovation of a racquetball court on their city campus. Instead of a court, it became a cardio zone with 16 pieces of cardiovascular equipment. Next, they created an outdoor adventure center, which is an award-winning facility from NIRSA that includes an interior climbing gym, houses the outdoor adventure administration and a few classrooms.
While the reconstruction was happening to the city center, they were in the process of designing the brand new facility on East Campus.
Before the renovations, Lanham says there was an activities building there that was “completely deplorable” and never intended to be a recreational facility. Now, the MAC gym has replaced the 1926 building.
“(It provided) some historical significance to some of the professors or some of the long-term members, that was really great for them too because they can reminisce about when they played there and the activities that they did there,” Lanham said.
UNL opened the doors to their new recreation centers July 13 and Lanham has already heard positive feedback from perspective students who were given a tour of the East Campus facilities. They’re planning their grand opening in September. The whole process cost the university $22 million, but Lanham says it would not have been possible without the students.
“I think the biggest thing is that relationship that you have with your student body,” she said. “Knowing their interests, involving them in the process and really letting them have their voices be heard and then trying to figure out how you can put those elements into your program, whether their through the facility’s program or services.” She believes the referendum passed so easily because a student body created the survey.
