A renewed focus on wellness will improve the Union experience

Success is far more than memorizing the periodic table of elements, diagramming sentences or practicing monochromatic scales. We believe the best learning comes from experiences that teach, stretch and push our students to become the people God called them to be.

We are primarily a residential campus, and our educational mission touches all areas of development­­—mental, spiritual, social, and physical. This care for the whole person is an important part of our historic mission, to offer an education that is uniquely Christian and uniquely Adventist. We are committed to living fully and joyfully, nurturing the development of the physical, mental, and spiritual gifts with which our students have been endowed by our Creator.

To help our students learn to live a whole and balanced life, we have commissioned a Wellness Council led by lifestyle nurse Larinda Fandrich, to develop strategies and coordinate wellness experiences for students that are educational and engaging—teaching healthy behaviors that follow foundational health principles.

We also plan to renovate and add to our wellness facility, the Larson Lifestyle Center, in order to provide adequate space and equipment for our students and employees to focus on fitness and continue to help our surrounding community stay active all year long.

Wellness should be fun, educational and engaging, and we want to motivate and inspire people to develop healthy lifestyles, both in our college community and in the public we serve.

I believe an expanded wellness program housed in a modern fitness center will bring more students to Union College and encourage them to persist to graduation. But more importantly, it will help us reach our goal for students, employees and community to live fully—in this life and in the life to come.

—Dr. Vinita Sauder
Union College President

Four goals. One building.

An expanded wellness facility will be one more way we can provide the experiences our students need to learn to live joyfully in God’s calling. In the broad scope, an this campaign helps Union College meet four key goals in our strategic plan:

Student success

Our primary goal is to help students learn how to be successful in every area of life, and wellness is a key factor in academic and career performance.

Accelerated growth

Research shows recreational facilities and programs play a vital role in attracting and keeping students.

Brand visibility

Larson Lifestyle Center is well known in the Lincoln community. Expanding the workout and recreational facilities will make Larson even more appealing to our neighbors and make Union more visible in Lincoln.

A great work environment

We know our employees are our most valuable asset, and providing ways for them to stay healthy creates better employees and lower insurance costs.

“I never thought about the Larson Lifestyle Center until I stayed on campus for a few weeks while temporarily serving at Union. I work out regularly, but I didn’t realize how inadequate the facilities are. They weren’t air conditioned or lit well, the machines were old—in fact the whole place was pretty dated. I believe Union needs a new wellness facility to support the needs of our students and employees, to attract our local community and to live out the health principles of our faith.”

Rich Reiner
A 1969 Union College graduate, Reiner served as a trustee since 2003 years. He recently retired as a vice president at Adventist Health System and then served as Union’s interim vice president for Financial Administration. Rich is the chair of the Fit for the Future Campaign.
photo Rich Reiner