New $9.7 Million Health Professions and Wellness Center to Break Ground May 20 on Washington Adventist University Campus

Takoma Park, Maryland (May 13, 2016) The new $9.7 million Gail S. and Bruce E. Boyer Health Professions and Wellness Center will break ground on the Washington Adventist University (WAU) campus in Takoma Park on Friday, May 20, 2016 at 12:45 p.m.

 

WAU President Weymouth Spence and WAU Provost Cheryl Kisunzu, along with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and donors – including major benefactors Gail and Bruce Boyer — will be on hand to celebrate the start of construction of the new center. In addition, they will be joined by Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart; Adventist HealthCare President Terry Forde; Washington Adventist Hospital President Erik Wangsness; Seventh-day Adventist Columbia Union Conference President and WAU Board of Trustees Chair Dave Weigley; State Delegates Sheila Hixson, David Moon and Will Smith; and members of the community.

 

The new 20,794-square-foot center will be an addition and renovation to the current Health Professions and Science Building, and it will accommodate Washington Adventist University’s health professions and science programs, along with community health programs and activities. The new center will also provide opportunities for the university to partner with the city and county in offering wellness activities to the public.

 

The new center will include eight classrooms, two fitness centers, a multipurpose room, 5 laboratories, 11 group and individual study areas, and 23 offices. Also included is a student lounge, faculty lounge, two conference rooms, two work rooms and two reception areas.

 

Funding for the new Gail S. and Bruce E. Boyer Health Professions and Wellness Center comes from the university’s annual Visionaries Gala fundraising event, the Boyers and other contributors, along with support from the Maryland Governor’s Office in the form of a $3.2 million matching grant.

 

The architect for the project is Hord, Coplan and Macht, and the construction company is Keller Brothers. The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2017.

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Washington Adventist University is Montgomery County’s only four-year private college. Part of the Seventh-day Adventist system of higher education, Washington Adventist University has been educating college students since 1904 on a 19-acre campus in suburban Takoma Park, close to the nation’s capital. Approximately 1,100 students of all faiths participate in the university’s eight graduate and 41 undergraduate programs. The 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report ranked Washington Adventist University among the best regional colleges in the north.

 

Media Contacts:

Angie Crews, 301-891-4134, acrews@wau.edu

Donna Bigler, 240-286-1169, dbigler@wau.edu