University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, ND

MISSION

The University of North Dakota Wellness Center fosters a culture of multi-dimensional wellness that educates and impacts the UND community.

FACILITIES

The Wellness Center was designed and built with the goal of being a physical manifestation of UND’s commitment to wellbeing. This award-winning $20 million facility opened in 2006 with more 106,000 square feet of space with specific areas included to support the seven dimensions of wellness. Among our favorite features are a wide array of fitness equipment and classes, a multipurpose gymnasium, a synthetic surface multi-activity court, 1/8-mile indoor track, and 26’ indoor rock wall.

Approaching its 10-year anniversary, the facility serves three-quarters of all students as well as faculty, staff, associates and alumni, averaging over 350,000 entries each year, and department consistently rated highest in satisfaction among student services, and the worksite wellness program is known for its innovation. Work Well perennially meets standards as an American Heart Association Platinum Fit-Friendly Company, is accredited by the CEO Cancer Gold Standard, and was an inaugural winner of the North Dakota Lieutenant Governor’s Worksite Wellness award.

FUN FACTS

Group exercise classes have more than 11,000 visits annually.
Quiet Lounge and Zen Den offer ideal spaces for reflection and meditation.
Culinary Corner, an instructional kitchen, features weekly Cheap, Fast and Healthy classes, Cookin’ with the Kiddos, and Cultural Cooking, a new favorite.
A fitness trail that runs along the English Coulee is right outside. During the long winters, this trail is groomed for classic and skate skiing.
The Outpost rents a large variety of seasonal outdoor equipment, including ice and inline skates, skis and snowboards, ice fishing, canoes and kayaks, and camping gear.
Intramural hockey is one of the largest sports. The program works with the legendary Ralph Engelstad Arena, considered one of the finest hockey venues in the world, where students get to play on the same ice as the Fighting Hawks.
The facility has repeatedly been recognized as one of the best in the country, receiving awards from the American Sports Builders Association, Architectural Portfolio, and NIRSA when it opened and continues with ranking on lists of “The Healthiest Colleges in the US”, “The 20 Fittest Colleges in America” (Fitbie), “16 College Rec Centers So Awesome They Will Make You Want to Work Out” (College Raptor), “America’s 11 Best College Gyms” (msn.com), and most recently, “The 35 Most Luxurious Student Recreation Centers” (collegerank.net).
A persistent correlation between participation and grades exists – GPA of frequent users (80+ times per year) is 3.1 versus 2.6 for non-users.