Online article highlights recruiting success of Willmore Center

AthleticBusiness has taken note of the immediate success of Willmore Center. In a feature published this month on the website, it cites several impressive statistics, including 28 percent more student athletes making deposits, 40 percent more student athletes taking tours of campus, and nearly double the number of football recruits to the College in one year’s time (25 recruits in 2017 and 48 in 2018).

“When Ripon College began planning a major upgrade of its primary athletics, health and wellness center, the vision went much further than having a bigger, newer facility,” the article reads. “They wanted the building to be a new hub of activity on campus – not just on game days, but every day. They wanted it to be a source of pride for the 800-student private liberal arts college and the community of Ripon, Wisconsin. More ambitious yet, they wanted it to be a recruiting magnet, attracting both athletes and non-athletes. … It is already achieving its mission. … And with a cost of $23.5 million, the project is an example of how such results can be achieved on a modest budget.”

The article, “Ripon College’s Willmore Center is Proving its Power as a Recruiting Tool,” highlights the need for the upgrades and how Willmore Center now is serving many more than student athletes. It cites 305 alumni and community residents who have purchased memberships and nearly 50 outside organizations that have held events in the facility.

“To attract athletic recruits, the Willmore Center offers size, facilities and amenities typically only found at much larger schools,” the articles states. “It also demonstrates to other prospective first-year students the value that Ripon College places on supporting the wellbeing of everyone on campus. … (The atrium) has, in fact, become a hub of social life at Ripon College. Located on the opposite end of campus from the student union, it serves as a second commons where students can hang out between classes or before or after a workout when it is not convenient to return to upper campus.”


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