ROCK ISLAND, Illinois - Leaders at Augustana College announced plans for a new $16-million-dollar addition to the campus on Tuesday, February 21, 2019.
The Austin E. Knowlton Center for Innovation in Health, Wellness and Human Performance will support the college's new major, Kinesiology.
The building will be located on the corner of 7th Avenue and 35th Street in Rock Island, in the heart of Augustana's campus.
The center will including new classrooms, exercise laboratories, faculty offices, meeting spaces, and a new state-of-the-art aquatics center.
The building will also allow the college to expand water athletic teams like Water Polo, Swimming, and Diving.
College President Steven Bahls, Provost Wendy Hilton-Morrow and faculty members Dr. Kimberly Murphy and Brad Kennedy invited students, faculty and the media to the Ken Anderson Club to make the announcement.
Leaders said during a press conference that Kinesiology, the study of physical activity and its impact on health and society, is one of the fastest growing career fields in the labor market right now.
Construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.
