TTU’s Old Fitness Center Becomes Academic Wellness Center

Classes kicked off this week at Tennessee Tech, and the old fitness center is being put to use.

It is now the Academic Wellness Center, and offers students courses whether their majoring in health or athletic training or just taking a general education course. Exercise Science Department Chair Dr. Christy Killman said even more courses were added in anticipation of the new center.

“Last year we had 18 new courses approved, some of them we are teaching this Fall, we also have two new concentrations within exercise science, one of them is exercise physiology and so we’ve done that in anticipation of having more space,” Killman said.

Killman said this boosts the departments ability to conduct experiments and lab work. Other concentrations for the Academic Wellness Center include Athletic Training, Exercise Prescription, General Health and Weight Training. Athletics will also put the center to use for their own academic work.

“One of the rooms that we converted from office space to classroom space they are using as their study hall and tutoring lab, so now they are able to offer study hall and tutoring all day, everyday,” Killman said.

Before the big move, meetings started about turning this into an academic center 3 years ago. This was a joint venture, as at the time Athletics needed more space as well.

“We play nice with them, and we get along so we had some meetings about how we could utilize the space and so we have a good partnership and collaboration,” Killman said.

Monday was the first day the Academic Wellness Center has been put to its new use. One part of being deemed an academic building, is using more than 50 percent of the center for academics.