SURPRISE, Ariz. — Ottawa University plans to open a second residential campus — complete with an athletics program — in Arizona, the university announced Friday. Ottawa University-Arizona will launch this fall in Surprise, Ariz., where officials held a dedication ceremony Friday. The university has taken over an existing 27,000-square-foot building as its academic and administrative hub. Howeeaders hope to break ground on two new buildings in the coming month, a residence hall and a training and administrative facility for outdoor sports. The new campus’ enrollment goals far exceed the size of its Ottawa, Kan., campus which currently has approximately 700 students. Ottawa University-Arizona aims to enroll 250 students for its first semester of classes at the new campus, and have 3,000 residential students within 10 years, according to the university’s announcement. The school will offer multiple undergraduate and graduate degrees and 19 varsity men’s and women’s sports teams. The school aims to obtain National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics designation, which would make it one of only four NAIA programs in Arizona. OU-A teams will be called the Spirit, with their mascot as a gray wolf.
Monday, Feb. 20, 4 p.m.
