Michigan State University has broken ground on a $200 million student recreation and wellness center on the East Lansing campus.
The Lansing State Journal reports that the 293,000-square-foot facility will replace the aging IM West recreation center. It could also aid efforts to reinstate MSU's dive team once the project is completed and ready for use in fall 2026.
University leaders say the recreation facility will usher in a new era of student health and well-being for the Spartan community.
“Supporting the health, well-being and success of our students is at the core of what we do at MSU,” Interim President Teresa Woodruff said. “Student wellness is centered around eight dimensions: intellectual, emotional, environmental, financial, occupational, spiritual, social and physical. This new, world-class recreational facility promotes so many of these dimensions of wellness, especially physical wellness and the importance of movement, flexibility, strength, aerobic and cardiovascular health.”
The center will have multiple gymnasiums, courts, a turf arena, indoor running track, exercise studios, a 50-meter pool, two classrooms and locker rooms.
Members of the MSU swim and dive movement, who have continued to pressure the board since the program's dissolution in 2020, have expressed support for the project, specifically the proposed 50-meter recreational pool.
The project would be paid for by a student recreational facility fee that was instituted in 2021. The fee, which began at $100 per year and has increased to $260 per year, has already helped pay for construction of the Spartan Green Turf Complex that opened in October 2022.
