Franklin College Announces Dedication of Johnson Memorial Health Athletic Annex

Franklin College will host a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the newly constructed Johnson Memorial Health Athletic Annex (JMHAA) on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. A reception along with facility tours will immediately follow from 3:30 – 5 p.m. The event will take place at the JMHAA, located at the corner of Park Avenue and Forsythe Street.

In December 2020, the college announced a one-million-dollar commitment from Johnson Memorial Health (JMH) to construct the indoor multi-use facility. In August 2021, the college announced a gift commitment from Indiana University head football coach Tom Allen to construct a weight room in the facility in honor of his father, Tom Allen Sr., a 1961 alumnus of the college.

The dedication of the building comes almost exactly one year to the day after Franklin College broke ground on the project on Oct. 13, 2021.

“The significance of the Johnson Memorial Health Athletic Annex cannot be overstated,” said Franklin College President Kerry N. Prather. “It reflects institutional progress and reaffirms our commitment to support students with the resources they want and need. The new facility will enhance the experience of our student-athletes by providing additional space for skill development and conditioning activities, and it will enable non-athlete students as well as faculty and staff to pursue their personal wellness goals.”

The annex features retractable batting cages for use by the baseball and softball teams, along with similar areas suitable for men’s and women’s golf. With the hitting cages retracted, the open artificially turfed space provides indoor practice opportunities for many sports. The annex also includes a weight room, doubling the previous weight training space on campus.

The college and JMH have shared a partnership for decades according to Prather. JMH has hosted college undergraduate interns, and more recently graduate-level students in various clinical experiences. The partnership grew in 2018 with the opening of their shared space across town that houses the Franklin College Graduate Health Science Center. JMH also facilitates the employment of the nurse who staffs the college’s campus health center. And student-athletes are served by JMH as the preferred provider of health care services.

The facility was designed by Elkhart-based Jones Petrie Rafinski (JPR), with Columbus-based Dunlap General & Mechanical Contractors serving as the general contractor.

For more information, contact the Office of Communications at (317) 738-8185.

Founded in 1834, Franklin College is a residential liberal arts and sciences institution located 20 minutes south of Indianapolis. Franklin offers a wide array of undergraduate majors as well as master’s degree programs in Physician Assistant Studies and Athletic Training. The unique curriculum merges classroom instruction with immersive experiences, research opportunities and study away programs. Students participate in 21 NCAA Division III sports, esports, Greek life, musical and theatre productions and more than 40 student organizations. As the first college in Indiana to become coeducational with the admission of women, Franklin welcomes diversity of thought, belief and person into a community that values equity and inclusion. Franklin College maintains a voluntary association with the American Baptist Churches USA. For more information, visit www.FranklinCollege.edu. Find Franklin College on Facebook and follow @FranklinCollege on Twitter.