University of Richmond
Richmond, VA
MISSION
The University of Richmond Department of Recreation and Wellness enhances the lives of its members by providing quality recreational and educational programs in an environment that promotes healthy lifestyles, academic productivity and personal growth
To offer students the special attention of a small college with a comprehensive recreation and wellness program that exceeds institutions of its size and is comparable to universities much larger in size. This can be accomplished by being creative with facilities and resources and by working collaboratively with other departments and partnering with the community to offer comprehensive programs and services with highly qualified and experienced staff.
FACILITIES
Our 90,000 square foot Weinstein Center opened in January 2007 was one of only five facilities in the country in 2008 to receive the National Intramural Recreation Sports Association Outstanding Sports Facility award and it is one of the most dynamically and commonly used buildings on the University of Richmond campus. Inside the Weinstein Center we have, but not limited to; three-court gymnasium, indoor walking/jogging track, 25-yard Natatorium, cardio and strength training area, racquetball/squash ball courts, group exercise multipurpose rooms, massage therapy and assessment room.
We have Outdoor Facilities that consist of, but not limited to, Disc Golf Course, Intramural Fields, Outdoor Sports Complex, Challenge Course, Richmond College Tennis Courts and Weinstein Center Courtyard. We also have a walking and running trail around the lake and hills throughout campus.
PROGRAMMING
Fitness is a growing element of the Weinstein Center. Not only do we have over 60 drop-in group exercise classes, but we also offer certification courses, personal training and fitness assessments to all students, faculty/staff and community members. These classes and programs are led by inspiring, motivating and certified instructors who engage our Weinstein members in active, full of energy and fun fitness training. Our personal trainers are certified students and hourly employees
Wellness program and events are open to faculty/staff and community members through the academic year. The following programs that are offered are URWell, URWell Employee, Health Assessments, Outreach, Massage Therapy and Member Orientation Program. URWell is specifically geared to students’ health and wellness with collaborating with Student Health Center, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), and Health and Wellness Education. We are partnered with the Human Resources department and created the URWell Employee program that is aimed for faculty and staff to strive for employee wellness through the eight dimensions of wellness; emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual. We also offer Wellness Coaching for faculty and staff that need assistance with making life changing goals for their health and wellness.
In keeping with the University of Richmond’s objectives of fostering knowledge and personal wellness, every undergraduate at Richmond is required to complete an alcohol education course (WELL 085) as well as two health topic courses (WELL 090) to graduate. The WELL 090 health topics courses focus on the top impediments to academic success.
The Sport Clubs program provides means for all students to enjoy recreation, instruction, and competition in a range of activities. Sports Clubs give students the opportunity to play non-varsity sports while developing fundamental skills in administration, organization and fundraising. There are 29 active Sport Clubs with a total of 760 participants. This program is 100% student driven per team. We also house the Athletic Training Center specifically for sport club participants with a dedicated Athletic Trainer.
The Intramural program is designed for students, faculty and staff to participant in non- varsity sports with good sportsmanship, but still have a competitive spirit. This program is open to everyone who is willing to win at all cost, have fun in a structured environment. The program host 18 intramural sports with over 6,531 participants and 302 teams.
The Outdoor Adventure and Recreation (OAR) program offers outdoor trips, teambuilding programs, and equipment rental. A wide variety of outdoor trips are offered at a subsidized rate to the university community. The OAR rental program encourages students and staff to explore the outdoors on their own with almost 20 unique types of outdoor equipment rental items such as tents, sleeping pads, tubes, mountain bikes and much more!
The OAR program also offers customized group teambuilding programs and has partnered with Challenge Discovery to facilitate and operate an on-campus Challenge Course that is available for campus, community, and corporate use. Teambuilding programs offer an engaging challenge course experience, all the while gaining valuable team skills such as personal growth, self-confidence, interpersonal skills, leadership, critical thinking, and conflict resolution.
The OAR program maintains the University’s free bike share program, which provides an alternative form of sustainable transportation, reduces on-campus vehicle traffic and reduces the University’s carbon footprint. Beginning in 2009, the program has 35 bikes in operation during the academic year. The bikes are available to all students, faculty, and staff to travel around campus – simply ‘Grab a Bike & Go’!
FUN FACTS
- Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness is certified LEED Gold, one of several LEED Buildings on campus
- In 2015-2016, over 25,000 group exercise participants joined in a variety of aerobics classes that were offered
- The fitness program held over 2,419 group exercise classes for faculty, staff, students and community members
- In 2015 – 2016, OAR offered 18 trips with over 450 trip participants ranging from 12 to 64 years in age.
- The partnership with Challenge Discovery has been hugely successful with nearly 150 teambuilding programs and over 4,000 participants per year.
- Through our UR Well Program, we hosted over 623 HCA Virginia Biometric Screening faculty/staff participants
- In 2015-2016, facility operation have been opened for over 5,499 hours of operation to serve our students, faculty/staff and community members
- The Weinstein Center has 3,509 students, 883 faculty/staff and 2,658 active members. In 2015-2016, there were a total of 270,338 entries into the facility.
- 208 TEAM Members including 16 full-time employees represent 21 different states + Washington DC and 3 different countries (Puerto Rico, Brazil and Greece)
- We launched Innosoft Fusion in June 2016 and now offer registration and payment options through our online portal for better customer service
