The new complex will include a more than 3,500-square foot weight room, two meeting rooms that will house up to 150 people, locker rooms, athletic offices, laundry facilities, and restrooms for Puckett Field House, which is the site for Eagle basketball and volleyball contests.

"This facility will be one of the best strength and conditioning complexes in the Heart of America Athletic Conference," Vice President of Campus Life and Athletic Director Ken Oliver said.

The addition, which will be completed in the fall of 2009, is part of Central Methodist's Campaign for Eagle Athletics. The Campaign for Eagle Athletics is helping to support all athletic teams and programs at Central Methodist through a combination of new and renovated facilities.

Already, the Campaign has helped with several facility upgrades, including the installation artificial turf on the combination football-soccer field; construction of a new eight-lane outdoor track; complete refurbishing of Puckett Field House; and creation of the Glenn and Veronica Cox Softball Complex. More facility improvements are planned, including refurbishing Philips Recreation Center, and improvements to the baseball complex, including upgrades to the scoreboard, dugouts, lighting and fencing.

Founded in 1854, Central Methodist is the only United Methodist Church-related university in Missouri, and welcomes qualified men and women of all faiths and from diverse backgrounds. Its wooded, historic campus hosts a faculty of teachers, mentors, and scholars dedicated to providing extraordinary attention to the individual learner. With offerings ranging from high-school dual credit to graduate studies and a total enrollment of more than 3,000, its liberal arts and pre-professional programs are centered on a character core that has twice brought Central Methodist national recognition for its leadership in character education.  In recent years the University has attracted significant challenge grants from the national Kresge and Mabee Foundations to help build a $15 million Student and Community Center on the academic quadrangle and to fund $5 million in major upgrades to its athletic facilities.