During Family Weekend, I watched a large group of parents crowd together for a group photo outside the Parent Leadership Council conference room of the newly opened Health and Wellbeing Center.
They could barely squeeze into the frame.
For me, that moment spoke volumes about how deeply our parents have embraced their role in supporting UD and our students.
Led by campaign co-chairs Mary Boosalis and Kristin Dailey, parents, trustees, alumni, and friends came together to make this remarkable 34,200-square-foot addition to the RecPlex possible through their generosity. The expansive center nearly doubles our capacity to provide medical care and counseling to students, creating more and higher quality space and resources to support their wellbeing and success.
And how fitting that we dedicated the facility during Family Weekend.
“We’re cultivating a nurturing environment where every Flyer feels supported, valued, and cared for like family,” Bro. Tim Driscoll, S.M., vice president for mission and rector, told the crowd that gathered at the dedication and blessing on a sunny autumn afternoon.
At UD, caring for the whole person — mind, body, and spirit — is at the heart of who we are as a Marianist university. “How do we ensure our students don’t just survive their college years, but truly flourish?” asked Melissa Longino, assistant vice president for health and wellbeing and executive director of campus recreation, at the gathering.
This facility, she explained, “is about so much more than bricks and mortar. The world our students navigate has changed dramatically, and the demand for health and wellbeing resources is growing at an unprecedented pace.
“This space empowers students to take ownership of their health. It normalizes seeking care, it integrates prevention with intervention, and it actively dismantles the lingering stigmas around mental health and physical illness.”
Student Government Association President Gabby Davis ‘27 can attest to why that matters. Her beloved grandmother, Gemma, helped her mom raise her, and Gemma’s death hit her deeply.
“She was kind, loving, sarcastic, hilarious, and she had a way of making you feel cared for without making a big deal about it. Losing her was hard. But what I remember most about that time is that I did not have to choose between grieving and being a successful student,” she said.
“That is what this investment gives students. It gives them resources before a crisis happens. It gives them more opportunities to recognize what they need. And, maybe most importantly, it gives them a place that says, ‘You belong here, someone cares about you and you do not have to figure out everything alone.’”
Walking through the beautifully designed building, I marveled at every detail — from the tranquility garden and new fitness studio to the comfortable group therapy room and private emergency transport area.
I kept returning to Bro. Tim’s words. Every student deserves to be “supported, valued, and cared for like family.”
That is what this new center represents. Above all else, it is a place built on care.
(Photo by Briana Snyder, Knack Video + Photo)