Coe College’s new athletic facility.
Coe College in Cedar Rapids is showing off its new gym and athletic facility today.
The $21 million project, launched in 2015 and funded primarily by donations, was the largest capital project in Coe College history.
Coe President Dave McInally told KCRG-TV it’s already paying off. “It’s helped us increase our enrollment and bring more people to our community,” McInally said.
Dave McInally
The project includes 200,000 square feet of new and renovated athletic facilities, including a 1,600 seat arena and a new wrestling room, the largest of its kind out of all NCAA Division-III schools. McInally call it an investment for the college that goes far beyond the campus.
“It’s a time of growth for Coe, it’s a time of growth for Cedar Rapids,” McInally said. “So we feel as if this building is an investment not only in our campus but in the whole community and we want to be a part of that progress.” Coe College welcomed 446 new full-time students this fall, the largest incoming class in its history. Total enrollment at the college this fall is 1,348.
Coe College Secretary Rod Pritchard told KCRG-TV the new facilities were needed to keep attracting students. “It makes us highly competitive, we’ve become the fastest growing college in the state. We think this will help attract a lot of new Kohawks to Coe College, whether they’re student athletes or just students who like to use the fitness facilities,” Pritchard said.
A dedication ceremony is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today and the facilities will be open to the public Saturday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is homecoming weekend at Coe.