Covenant News

Work to Begin on New Recreation Center

CHICAGO, IL (May 18, 2005) - Work has begun on the largest building project on the North Park University campus since the opening of the Paul and Bernice Brandel Library in 2001.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held last Friday for the Helwig Recreation Center, which will be located at the corner of Carmen and Kedzie. Joining in the ceremonies were the lead donors, David and Nancy Helwig of Thousand Oaks, California. Both graduated in 1978.

All members of the campus community will be able to use the center. The center will include a 200-meter two-lane indoor running track, batting cages, two basketball/three volleyball courts, a 35-yard section of practice turf mirroring the turf recently installed on the football field, a climbing wall, a two-level fitness area for use by the entire North Park community, classrooms and coaches' offices.

Administration officials believe the center will make the school more attractive to potential undergraduate students, who often base their decision on where to attend largely on the quality of campus facilities. Currently, North Park trails most of its institutional competitors in the indoor and outdoor recreational facilities available to the general student population, school officials note.

"The Helwig Recreation Center will be a strategic addition for the University since it provides not only a wellness venue for all students, faculty and staff, but also crucial practice space for our athletic teams, an educational facility for students of exercise and sport, and a venue for recreational athletics," says Dan Tepke, senior vice president at North Park. "Because nearly 900 North Park students participate in either intercollegiate or intramural sports each year, the student recruitment and retention implications of the facility are enormous."

The Helwig family has a longstanding heritage of North Park support, beginning with Nancy's parents, Harry and Marilyn (Myhren) Sandberg and David's parents, Stan and Eleanor (Goethe) Helwig. David's siblings Cynthia, Jon and Ted also have contributed to the school.

Other funding is been supplied by the many donors to the "Formation & Transformation: A Campaign for North Park University" initiative.

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