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Miami Rec Center Celebrates 30th Anniversary
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Miami University’s Recreational Sports Center, a facility that has become central to promoting wellness and recreation on campus. Since its opening, the Rec Center has served countless students, faculty, staff, and community members, providing top-tier fitness programs and services for three decades. In 1992, the Miami Board of Trustees approved construction for a new recreation facility on Miami University's Oxford campus. On September 16, 1994, the newly constructed Rec Center, built at a cost of about twenty-two million dollars, opened its doors for the first time. The construction of the Rec Center was funded from two major sources: the university sold bond instruments, and the state of Ohio also contributed in recognition of the educational and general instructional uses of the Aquatics Center. Subsequently, the Aquatics Center was named in recognition of a longtime legislator, Corwin Nixon, who was retiring. The objectives behind this new construction were: • Promote and enhance wellness in the lives of Miami students, members, and guests. • Provide exceptional customer service by acting on the needs of those we serve, internally and externally. • Offer quality programs and facilities to meet the diverse recreational needs of their patrons. • Develop the full potential of our student employees as an extension of their education experience. • Encourage and provide personal and professional development for all levels of their team.
Since 1994, Miami Recreation has added a new indoor Equestrian Center, renovated the Outdoor Pursuit Center, expanded to four satellite facilities (Clawson, North Quad, Chestnut, and Sawyer), created a disc golf course, and added synthetic turf to Cook Field to promote health and wellness for Miami University and the Oxford community. The Rec Center also underwent one major renovation that added a walk-in pro shop and 3,000 additional square feet of fitness space. In the university's history, there have been many different locations on campus that have been home to recreational sports and programs. You can learn more about some of the History of Miami Recreation on their website. Miami Recreation currently hosts over 40 health and recreation programs serving faculty, staff, students, and the community, with participants ranging in age from 1 to 101 years old and totaling roughly 1 million participant hours. It is estimated that over 325 full-time staff and 8,000 students have worked in Miami Recreation since 1976. If you are one of them we'd love to touch base, hear your stories, and share how you can stay involved with our staff and programs. For more information contact Mike Arnos at 513-529-8179.
Check out the History of Miami Recreation