The College Facilities

Administration Building

The administration building has been the focal point of both academic and administrative activity even prior to its opening in 1904 because the original building was rebuilt after a fire in 1902 left only the walls standing. The administration building houses several classrooms, academic departments, the administration auditorium and the following administrative offices: Admissions, Business Office, Provost for The College, Registrar, Student Affairs, and Financial Aid. The following academic departments are also located in the administration building: Business Administration, Education, English, Foreign Language, Human Services, Psychology, and Sociology.

Athletic Facilities

Numerous facilities for recreational use are available to students, faculty and staff free of charge. The facilities are available during scheduled times with the exception of when they are reserved for athletic practices or special functions. The following facilities are available for student use:

Dick Peter’s Sports Complex – home of the Braves baseball and Lady Braves softball teams.

Hull Center for Athletics – 21,000-square-foot facility,houses the Braves Athletic Hall of Fame, a health and wellness center, exercise physiology lab, football staff offices, women’s basketball office, athletic training facilities, multiple locker rooms, spirit squad offices, and much more.

Intramural Field – located in the University Chapel/ Martin Hall Quad. This field is available for football and softball.

Mabee Center – basketball courts, racquetball courts, tennis courts, walking, and running.

Peoples Bank Field - home of the Braves football; Braves and Lady Braves soccer; and the Braves and Lady Braves track and field teams.

Sand Volleyball Pits – located in the University Chapel/Martin Hall quad and adjacent to the Mabee Center.

Wilson Field House – home of the Braves and the Lady Braves basketball and volleyball teams.

Atkinson Hall

Atkinson Hall is the home of the communication, music and theatre departments, faculty offices, theatre office, yearbook office, five classrooms and seven practice music rooms for student use. University Ringers (the five-octave hand-bell choir), Jazz Ensemble, Adelante Singers, and University Concert Choir all practice in Atkinson Hall.

Behan Hall

Behan Hall, built in 1955, completely remodeled in 1991, is currently home to the Vera Wise Technology Center, Bemmels Broadcast Center, Department of University Information Technology, academic faculty offices, and several classrooms. The Vera Wise Technology Center contains two computer labs for information technology students.

Lab Hours:

Hull Center for Athletes

The Hull Center for Athletics is located directly south of Wilson Field House and is connected through a breeze-way on the east end. The center houses the Wellness Center which is the largest physical fitness area in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The hours are posted on the front door. It also houses eight locker rooms for athletic teams, in addition to coaches’ offices, a training room, aerobics room, and classroom. The Braves Athletic Hall of Fame is also housed within the Center’s lobby.

Mabee Center

The Mabee Center is a multipurpose sport practice facility that serves various facets of the physical education, recreation and athletic programs. Within the facility are two newly remodeled racquetball courts and two regulation-size basketball courts with goals. The floor is made of a special plastic woven material whose sections can be removed so that the attachments for a volleyball or tennis net can be assembled in a stable way. A batting cage is also available for set-up in this facility. The building is used for intramurals, athletic practices, classes, and extracurricular activities.

Gibson Student Center

The Gibson Student Center is the hub of activities for The College. The Center provides students, alumni, University employees and guests, a comfortable environment for a variety of activities and meetings as well as a place to relax or eat. Center facilities include dining/food options, Copy Center, mailboxes, meeting/conference/class rooms, Ottawa University Bookstore, and the Gibson Student Center office.

Gangwish Library

The Gangwish Library serves the academic research needs of the campus, with more than 80,000 bound volumes, numerous periodical subscriptions, numerous audio and video tapes, and access to numerous electronic databases. The library’s online catalog provides current information on book and periodical holdings. Students may also use the library-sponsored search tools and databases on the World Wide Web. Other services include interlibrary loan, photocopying and equipment checkout. Assistance is also available in using resource materials and developing research. The library also has computers available for student or public use, a quiet room and group study rooms.

Peoples Bank Field

Peoples Bank Field is a state-of-the-art football and soccer field that has an artificial field turf playing surface. The new rubberized track, named for Billy “Bo” Bryon Boucek, opens a number of opportunities for the University to host several athletic events on a larger scale. A new storage facility is located to the south of the field.

The original football field was named Cook Field and opened in 1922 at a cost of $2,500. The field provided a much-needed facility for football, a popular sport receiving growing attention as Ottawa victories became commonplace. In appreciation for the very significant sum of money of that time, the field was named for the donor, A.L. Cook, a partner with James Ransom in the contracting business. The stadium, seating 1,100 fans and containing a well-designed press box and concession facilities, was constructed with a gift from Dr. and Mrs. C. Omer West in 1973, 57 years after Doc West, Class of 1916, played his final football game on Cook Field. At the 1973 October Homecoming, the stadium was dedicated to the spirit and objectives demonstrated by Dr. West in his athletic career at Ottawa and his personal and professional life. The yearbook lauded him as a “halfback who could be depended upon at all times.”

Pomona Lodge

Ottawa University maintains a recreation building for personal and group use on the shore of Lake Pomona, a 4,000-acre lake built by the Army Corps of Engineers, 16 miles northwest of the campus. The lake area is a popular location for boating, camping, fishing, picnicking, and swimming.

Students may reserve the lodge through the Department of Facilities and Operations. The facility has a large recreation room with fireplace, kitchen, outdoor barbecue grill, newly remodeled showers and restrooms, and sufficient chairs and tables for small groups. The lodge is available for use from April through November, free of charge to students. All University policies and procedures apply to the Pomona Lodge.

Residence Halls

Bennett Hall, opened in 2000, has the capacity to house 152 men and women. Brown Hall, opened in 1968, has the capacity to house 158 men and women. Martin Hall, opened in 1947 and renovated in 1999, has the capacity to house 66 women.

The Student Commons

The Student Commons, built in 1914, was used as a gymnasium until the Wilson Field House was built in the1940s. The Commons then became the eating place for faculty and students. The Campus Bookstore and the University Health Center were located in the Commons as well. In 1963, the Mowbray Student Union was built and the dining commons was moved to its present location within the Union. The Commons was then used for the next few years by the theater department to perform plays. The Commons in the mid sixties became the women’s gym until the Mabee Center was built to its south. It then became the Wellness Center or weight room. The weight room, coaches’ offices and locker rooms were moved to the Hull Center for Athletics after its completion. Today, the Student Commons still house the softball and baseball offices, a game room where students can hang out and play air hockey, billiards, darts, foosball, and ping-pong. In addition to the games, the Student Commons house televisions and furniture paid for by Student Senate. The College campus master plan calls for future renovations of this building.

Tauy Jones Hall

The oldest building on campus, Tauy Jones houses the Office of the President, Office of Human Resources, Office of University Advancement, Department of University Communications, and the University-wide Business Offices.

Fredrikson Chapel

The Fredrikson Chapel, built in 1965, holds 1,200 people and displays the flags of 53 countries, representing the home countries of Ottawa University graduates. The chapel houses the campus ministries office, religion academic offices, and various classrooms in its east wing. The University Chapel is used for a variety of events, including commencement and music program events.

Ward Science Hall

A majority of classes are held in Ward Science Hall, including the department of mathematics, chemistry, and biology laboratories, as well as classrooms for most disciplines.

Wilson Field House

The Wilson Field House, built in 1945, seats 1,500 spectators. In 1988, the original gym floor was replaced through the generous gift of alumni and friends. The lobby and upstairs offices were renovated in 2000 to house coaches for men’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, sports information director, cross-country and track, and athletic director. The Braves and Lady Braves basketball games and the Lady Braves volleyball games are played in the Wilson Field House.

For additional information on The College, please contact:

Ottawa University

Office of Admissions

1001 South Cedar Street, # 17

Ottawa, KS 66067

Phone: 785-242-5200

Toll Free: 800-755-5200, #2

Fax: 785-229-1008

admiss@ottawa.edu