Ottawa University is opening a new residential campus in Surprise with plans to enroll 250 students for its first semester of classes and 3,000 students over the next 10 years.
Expansion plans for the Surprise campus include development of residential housing, an indoor activity center, dining and conference space, and new athletic fields, including a stadium with artificial turf for football and soccer.
The future 35-acre OUAZ campus will be embedded within the Surprise City Center, integrating with the existing 250-acre City of Surprise Civic Center and Recreation campus. The school will also launch out of existing space within the Civic Center, allowing students to avail themselves of the surrounding city amenities, including the Surprise Aquatic Center, Dream Catcher Park, the Surprise Tennis & Racquet Complex, and Surprise Stadium, as well as robust shopping and dining amenities.
The Ottawa University Arizona campus will also be home to 19 varsity men’s and women’s sports team, which will work toward a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics designation. When the University gets the designation it hopes to earn, the school will be one of only four NAIA programs in Arizona.
Additional faculty hires are underway, with a number of key athletic coaching positions already filled. Student recruitment for August enrollment has begun.
“Ottawa University has expanded strategically during the last 151 years and we are poised for significant growth and exceptional student outcomes here in Surprise,” said Ottawa University President Kevin C. Eichner. “We are grateful the City of Surprise shares our vision for delivering a new model for education with an emphasis on educating and developing the whole person, and creating work-ready graduates who are prepared to be successful on the job from day one.”
Ottawa University is a private, nonprofit, Christian university that was founded in Ottawa, Kansas in 1865. The university has been in Arizona since 1977 with campuses in Phoenix and Queen Creek.
