We will build an inspiring and welcoming facility to serve all Heidelberg students, including student-athletes and non-athlete students participating in intramurals and other activities. A new Student Athletics, Academic and Recreation Center will encompass 110,000 square feet featuring three indoor basketball courts, a track and field space, a turf field for field sports and the marching band, a training room, locker rooms, classrooms, cafe, and leadership development and team-building spaces.

The Center — essentially a large indoor fieldhouse — will dramatically improve the Heidelberg experience and become a game-changer for our campus:

• It will provide greater access to wellness activities unavailable now because of limited space.
• It will create active learning and holistic development spaces for our students and the community.
• It will allow for expanded opportunities for new academic programming and experiential learning for students.
• It will enhance extracurricular student engagement opportunities.
• It will provide space to conduct our numerous events and activities, such as indoor Commencement ceremonies, HYPE Career Ready® keynote addresses, and other campus-wide gatherings.
• It will relieve operational and logistical burdens, such as student-athletes and coaches having to practice extremely early and late.
• It will open up opportunities for other activities that cannot currently utilize our gym and other facilities.
• It will strengthen community relationships and connect our campus to the greater Tiffin community in new ways, which tie directly to increased retention and a sense of belonging.

With nearly $12 million already received for the Student Athletics, Academic and Recreation Center, an additional $16 million will bring this critical facility to life. With your support, students will have the amenities they expect and need on a college campus.

A Student and Community Welcome Center will provide a new front door that welcomes every guest to Heidelberg University from the moment they arrive on campus. The Admission Office will be located on the first floor, creating an exceptional and persuasive first-visit experience for prospective students and their families.

All Heidelberg guests will feel the spirit of the Berg from their first impression. The new Student and Community Welcome Center, combined with a new Student Athletics, Academic and Recreation Center, will solve critical challenges and raise Heidelberg’s facilities to the level of other universities.

Guests currently start their campus experience at University Hall, which lacks parking and ADA compliance and has a small reception area with limited meeting space. Restrooms located in the basement add to the challenges. The new Welcome Center will address these accessibility barriers, which impact all potential students and families.

The new 10,000-square-foot, two-story Student and Community Welcome Center will convey a friendly tone for a warm, welcoming campus experience through accessible parking, easy navigation and elevators, accessible restrooms, and a spacious high-tech presentation area. A bright and spacious hospitality area will feature comfortable seating, tailored welcome messages on a flat-screen TV, refreshments, a charging station, and a Wall of Fame as a tribute to distinguished alumni. Staff offices and meeting rooms will be on the second floor.

Donors have already contributed a generous $1.2 million to launch this new Welcome Center. Your gift toward the estimated remaining $5 million for this project will make this exciting vision a reality and ensure everyone who is welcomed to Heidelberg University has a high-quality on-campus experience. Your gift will help foster a sense of connection and inspiration with our guests, welcoming them into the Heidelberg family. Your investment will also create opportunities for Heidelberg to showcase our university in new and creative ways—helping attract new students to experience Heidelberg and our life-changing mission.

Amid substantial global change and innovation impacting the workforce, students, families, and higher education, Heidelberg is proudly committed to maintaining our focus on serving diverse students. As needs continue to grow, new scholarships will help us recruit and retain an array of scholars.

Thanks to investments from donors like you, currently the Heidelberg Endowment has about $63.5 million (as of March 31, 2023), primarily dedicated to endowed scholarships. Your gift will grow increasingly needed endowed scholarships, moving Heidelberg forward to a $100 million endowment, and make a permanent, lasting legacy for Heidelberg students—today and tomorrow.

Philanthropy is at the heart of Heidelberg. Our success – now and in the future – is measured by our collective family of donors whose belief in our mission is so strong that they are moved to make a difference by utilizing unrestricted giving on an annual basis.

Unrestricted giving to The Heidelberg Fund allows us to assign your gift to the area where it’s needed most. This provides critical flexibility to support all areas of the university – from students and faculty to academic and residential facilities – that become part of the overall Heidelberg experience. A steady flow of unrestricted dollars also allows us to preserve our endowment.

When you make an unrestricted gift to The Heidelberg fund during any given fiscal year, you have an opportunity to align your gift to what matters most to you by designating your philanthropy to the highest priority or need of the university, academic programs and the library; student scholarships and financial aid; or athletics.

We ask you to consider an investment in The Heidelberg Fund by making an outright gift or a pledge, contributing to a grant, or taking advantage of your employer’s matching gift program, stock, or planned gifts. We encourage you to designate your gift as a tribute to honor someone or in memory of someone who is meaningful in your life.