Work is underway for a new recreation and fitness center on the UIS campus. The student body originally approved the plan to use new recreational fees to pay for the structure. Now, thanks to a significant and well-timed gift from the Hoogland Family Foundation of Charles and Kathleen Hoogland of Springfield, the center will be much bigger and better than would otherwise have been possible, with room to grow in the future.

“I just thought it would be great to have a good facility for the students to relax and exercise,” said Charles Hoogland, who decided to make the gift after touring the campus and hearing about the student support of the project. “I think it’s a good thing to have on any campus.”

Charles Hoogland is the owner of Family Video, the Springfield-based video rental chain that is the largest privately owned chain in the video retail industry in the U.S. The company has over 400 stores in 10 states and employs more than 4,000 people. He is a graduate of Yale University, and his wife, Kathleen, is an alumna of the University of Colorado. The couple has two sons and two daughters. Their sons, Keith Hoogland of Glenview and Eric Hoogland of Springfield, are president and vice president of Family Video respectively.

The state-of-the-art recreation facility is expected to be complete by the summer of 2007. With 57,513 net square feet of space, it will offer a full spectrum of features, including a 3,000-seat gymnasium capable of expanding to a 4,000-seat performance arena, several game courts, a running track and fitness and exercise rooms and equipment. If additional support is received, the structure could be expanded to include a natatorium, which had to be removed from the original plans due to budget constraints.

While student and private support from the Hooglands and others are making this possible, there is still work to be done. “Private support is critical to development of the facility,” said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, L. Christopher Miller. And while important donations have already been received, “additional support is needed to not only allow us to fully meet the original building concepts, but also to lessen the student fee burden on completion of the facility. Funding for the new facility is virtually entirely dependent on student fees, which poses a significant burden on a campus of our size,” Miller added.

The new facility is expected to help increase the already growing student population at UIS and will be the first permanent building constructed on the campus with the primary focus on student life.

Charles Hoogland believes the new recreational center will help the University grow,“and anything that helps the school grow will help the city grow, and anything that helps the city grow will help the school grow.” The Hooglands have been instrumental in helping to spark that growth not only on campus, such as their support of the Sangamon Auditorium, but also through their considerable donation to the Center for the Arts in Springfield, later named the Hoogland Center for the Arts.