Falcon Center for Health, Education and Wellness. Photo by Kathy M. Helgeson

UW-River Falls to open Falcon Center on Sept. 21

September 7, 2017-- The University of Wisconsin-River Falls will officially unveil the Falcon Center for Health, Education and Wellness, the largest building project in university history, at a grand opening celebration set for Sept. 21. The new facility helps address classroom capacity, allows the campus to better integrate technology into curriculum, and expands research opportunities.

The day kicks off with a 12:30 p.m. ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by a public open house from 1-7 p.m. Grand opening festivities are free and open to the public.

The $63.5 million facility will serve as the new home for the university’s Health and Human Performance (HHP), Campus Recreation and Athletic departments. The 286,347-square-foot facility will feature state-of-the-art classroom and performance lab space, fitness equipment for use by students, staff, and the community, indoor facilities for intramural athletics, and new or remodeled facilities for many of the school’s athletic teams.

“The Falcon Center will have a tremendous impact on our students’ educational experience,” said Chancellor Dean Van Galen. “We have taken a great step forward and we expect the Falcon Center to help create a new feeling of energy and vitality on an already dynamic campus.”

“From our point of view, it’s a significant upgrade,” said HHP Department Chair Paul Shirilla. “We were at capacity in our old classrooms, but now we’ll have the ability to better integrate technology into courses, expand student and faculty research, and grow our undergraduate and graduate academic programs.”

“For the first time ever, non-student-athletes, faculty/staff and community members will be able to recreate indoors between the hours of 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weeknights,” said Steve Stocker, director of Campus Recreation. “This is when surveys show a majority of students want to be active, but because of lack of space, Campus Recreation has had to offer most of its programs and services late evenings. With the arrival of the Falcon Center, students may recreate earlier and begin studying at a more desirable time.”

“From the point of view of athletics, we’ve gone from ‘worst to first’ in the WIAC,” said interim Athletic Director Crystal Lanning. “Every one of our varsity teams has benefited in some way from the Falcon Center project. We feel we now offer student-athletes the most complete facilities package in the WIAC and we’re excited to show it to everyone.”

For additional information, contact Jeff Papas, director of Communications and Marketing, at 715-425-4945 or jeff.papas@uwrf.edu.