Union College voted to move forward with the construction of the AdventHealth Complex and Reiner Wellness Center this week. Some parts of the project will begin this summer and the building should be completed in the fall of 2024.

“This is exciting news for the Union,” said Vinita Sauder, college president. “We are now one step closer to our goal of providing a greatly improved fitness and wellness facility for our students, employees, and community members.”

Union publicly launched the Fit for the Future fundraising campaign in June 2021 to raise $13 million to help fund the project. Currently, more than $10.8 million has been committed toward the goal.

The college leadership worked with construction experts to create building plans to meet the needs of the college, provide for future expansion, and fit within the Union’s ability to effectively steward the resources available for the project. The 40,000 square foot building connected to Larson Lifestyle Center will contain a field house with multiple sports courts, an elevated walking track, and large strength training and cardio workout spaces.

The project will also provide some needed renovations to the Larson Lifestyle Center building and a new mobility accessible entrance for the Nursing Program on the upper level.

“We are very thankful for the leadership of Rich Reiner, and the rest of our board who believe in this project,” said Sauder. “With their contributions, their ideas, and the vote this week, they have helped to strengthen Union and build an even better place for students to learn and grow.”

Thanks to a lead gift from AdventHealth, the entire facility — which will house the Reiner Wellness Center, the Larson Aquatics Center, the Nursing Program, and the Health and Human Performance Program — will be called the AdventHealth Complex. AdventHealth is a Florida-based healthcare system affiliated with Union College’s parent organization — the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The second-largest private healthcare system in the country, AdventHealth operates more than 50 hospitals, including the Orlando, Tampa, Chicago, Kansas City, and Denver metro areas.

Other lead donors for the project include Rich and Lynnet Reiner, Nelnet, Allo Communications, Union Bank and Trust, H&B Communications, Kettering Health, J.S. Lang Enterprises, Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and Terry and Paula Tarasenko Shaw.

“This project would not be possible without the generous support of our donors who have given nearly $11 million dollars so far,” Sauder said. “There is still more to do. I encourage anyone who believes in wellness and in Union College to support the Fit for Future Campaign.”