Samford debuts $85 million recreation center [PHOTOS]

A highly-anticipated renovation to Samford University’s recreation center is finally here. 

Part of the Samford Horizon plan to encourage increased enrollment, the new state-of-the-art facility has been in the works since 2022. 

Read on to learn more.

Enhancing health and wellness at Samford

According to a recent press release, Samford’s newest addition to its revitalization plan, known as Samford Horizons, will maximize the residential life of students.

This new facility has been in the works since early 2022 and is finally welcoming students to enjoy a vast amount of high-end luxury equipment. The gym will feature all-new weight training areas, basketball courts and an exclusive food lounge.

Here’s a look at the new facilities:

• Basketball courts
• Billiards area
• Coffeehouse
• 24-hour market
• Conference room
• Dumbbell lifting area
• Mirror/tonal excercise mirror rooms
• Pickleball courts
• Massage chairs
• Turf training area

We spoke with Nick Madsen, the Executive Director of Campus Recreation, about the new center hoping to bring students together.

“The gym will have a variety of community engagements. We have social areas for students to play, study or relax, we have the opportunity for them to meet by having food or drink, and then we have a variety of fitness programs to connect with each other.”

Nick Madsen, Executive Director of Campus Recreation, Samford University

Not only did the gym create more space for fitness, but also increased student employment drastically. According to the press release, the University was able to hire 100 more students as recreation assistants than last year.

Samford’s growing campus

This year alone has been huge for Samford and it’s students with an outstanding enrollment of over 6,101 students for Fall of 2024.

In order to accommodate these students, Residence Life was able to house students at nearby apartment complexes such as Tributary Rise, The Brookwood and Estelle.

To maximize accommodations, the university has focused its efforts on adding more dorms to the campus that are set to open in Fall of 2025.

Back in 2023, Samford was able to renovate all 20,000 square feet of the cafeteria.

All in all, we’re happy to see the university bringing in thousands of more students and renovating the campus.

Follow Samford on Facebook + Instagram to get updates about new renovation dates.

Want more news like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our FREE newsletter.