Wellness Center project
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Introduction to the project
At the University of Louisville, we are deeply committed to supporting the health, well-being, and success of every student. We know that students are most successful when they have access to the resources, relationships, and experiences that help them thrive.
The Student Wellness Center represents the next step in that commitment: a transformative, student-centered space designed to bring wellness, connection, care, and community together in one welcoming destination. More than a collection of services, the Center will create an environment where students can find support, build relationships, develop healthy habits, and access the resources they need to navigate college and prepare for life beyond UofL.
The Student Wellness Center will assist in teaching students that Wellness is the action—the active pursuit and behaviors that improve health while Well-being is the result—the overarching state of contentment and life satisfaction that stems from those actions. The Student Wellness Center will provide a collaborative approach to student well-being, recognizing that mental, emotional, physical, social, and overall wellness are deeply connected to student success. By bringing key services, programs, and campus partners together, the Center will make it easier for students to discover and access support while creating new opportunities for collaboration across the university.
This shared environment will allow our professionals to work more intentionally and proactively, connecting students with the right resources at the right time while creating opportunities for wellness education, prevention, engagement, and community building. Whether a student is seeking support during a challenging moment, looking to strengthen their physical or mental well-being, building meaningful connections, or simply searching for a place to recharge and belong, the Student Wellness Center will be designed with the whole student in mind.
This project is an investment in the future of our students and in the kind of university we aspire to be. The Student Wellness Center will become a cornerstone of the UofL experience. It reflects our belief that student wellness and well-being is fundamental to student success and that creating environments where students feel supported and connected is essential to their educational journey.
Vision for the project
The vision for the Student Wellness Center is rooted in a simple but powerful idea: students thrive when the resources that support their whole well-being are accessible, connected, and designed around their needs. By bringing key campus services together in a shared, student-centered environment, the University of Louisville can create a collaborative approach to health, wellness, care, and student success. The Center will foster collaboration among Campus Health Services, the University Counseling Center, the University PEACC Center, Drug and Alcohol Education, Campus Recreation and Wellness, and other campus partners, creating a destination where students can more easily connect to the right resources while allowing professionals to work together in more coordinated and proactive ways.
A critical component of the project is expanding the capacity of Campus Health Services and the University Counseling Center to meet the evolving needs of today's students. The expanded footprint will provide additional examination rooms, laboratory space, clinician workspaces, individual and group therapy rooms, and flexible areas for health education, programming, and collaboration. These purpose-built spaces will increase access to care while creating an environment that supports privacy, collaboration, prevention, and innovation. The additional capacity will allow our health and counseling professionals to serve more students, offer expanded programming and services, and develop new approaches to supporting student health and well-being.
At the heart of the vision is a new student hub! A welcoming campus destination where students can access support, connect with others, participate in programs, and find space to pause, recharge, and care for themselves. The Student Wellness Center will intentionally blend clinical services with opportunities for education, engagement, connection, and community, reinforcing the idea that wellness is an essential part of the Cardinal experience. More than a collection of offices and services, the Center will become a hub for student well-being: a place where students can find care when they need it, discover resources that help them flourish, and build the skills, relationships, and sense of belonging that support their success at UofL and beyond.
Original use of Miller building
The current Miller Building has a long and meaningful history at the heart of the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus. Originally constructed as the University Center following the destruction of the campus Student Union by fire in 1951, the facility was built in 1958–59 and opened in 1960 to serve as a central gathering place for the University community. From its earliest days, the building was designed to bring students together and support both academic and campus life, housing student activities alongside the University College program.
Throughout its history, the building has served many of the essential needs of UofL students. Known at various times as the University Center, Bigelow Hall, the Student Center, Computer Center, and IT Center, its spaces have housed the campus bookstore, The Cardinal, Financial Aid, Student Employment, Housing, WLCV radio, the Dean of Students Office, University College, a cafeteria, gameroom, and numerous other student-focused services and activities. While the names and functions of the building have evolved over the decades, its connection to the student experience has remained a defining part of its identity.
Today, the Miller Building has the opportunity to reconnect with its original purpose while meeting the evolving needs of a new generation of Cardinals. The renewed vision for Miller intentionally returns a major portion of the facility to its core mission of serving students, creating a hub for connection, student success, and overall well-being. By building upon its historic foundation as a place where students gathered, accessed resources, and experienced campus life together, Miller can once again serve as a central destination.
This transformation represents an opportunity for donors to make a lasting investment in the lives of generations of Cardinals. By supporting the reimagining of Miller, philanthropy can help transform a historic campus landmark into a vibrant, student-centered space built for the challenges and opportunities of today. Every investment will help strengthen a place designed to ensure that students do not have to navigate their college experience alone, a place where connection is fostered, well-being is prioritized, success is supported, and every Cardinal has greater opportunity to thrive.
Support the development of the Student Wellness Center
The next chapter of Miller’s history is ready to be written, and the generosity of our alumni, friends, and partners can help make that vision a reality.