Parents Neil and Jennifer Wizel P’28 are among the latest donors to make generous gifts to Elon's new home for health and wellness that will serve all students, faculty and staff.
Elon parents Neil and Jennifer Wizel P’28, of Houston, have contributed $100,000 to the HealthEU Center. The couple praised Elon’s decision to make students’ health and well-being a top institutional priority, along with their academic and career preparation, and to help them form meaningful relationships. The couple’s daughter Grace ’28 is a sophomore.
“College students today face unique challenges—they are digital natives, buoyed by the benefits of technology and social media, and simultaneously threatened by the relentless culture of comparison and living in an age where real-life relationships often take a back seat,” Jennifer Wizel said. “They are also living on the heels of a pandemic, with a fluid and unpredictable economy and a divisiveness in society that sometimes feel intractable. Having institutional support for their health and well-being is a gift beyond measure.”
The HealthEU Center is a key component of the university’s Boldly Elon strategic plan and HealthEU initiative that focuses on six dimensions of health and wellness: community, emotional, purpose, financial, physical and social. The three-story facility will feature new classrooms, student-faculty research and engagement spaces, multiple floors for wellness and fitness activities, including an aquatics center and climbing/bouldering walls, and the Mark and Kim Tyson Counseling Center, with space for individual and group therapy, as well as workshops and outreach programs.
Through coursework, workshops and training programs focused on health and wellness, the center is designed to impact every student as they learn essential skills and practices to thrive on campus and throughout each stage of their lives.
While it was bittersweet sending Grace to college, the Wizels said they are enjoying watching her become more independent and make friends on campus.
“We feel tremendous affection, pride and excitement that Grace is spending these years at Elon, cultivating a deeper awareness about who she is, what she values and how to move through the world with curiosity, agency and purpose,” Jennifer said. “She will be challenged at Elon, supported and made to feel welcome and whole in her journey.”
The couple’s gift will also establish the Wizel Family Elon Engagement Scholarship to make an Elon education possible for promising incoming students eager to participate in the university’s nationally recognized engaged learning programs, including undergraduate research, study abroad or Study USA, internships, service learning or leadership development.
Elon has set a $25 million fundraising goal to make the HealthEU Center a reality. To date, donors have contributed $22.4 million to the center, which is currently under construction and scheduled to open in fall 2026 within Elon’s Innovation Quad, home to the university’s engineering and other STEM programs.
The comprehensive nature of the HealthEU Center and thoughtful design also inspired a generous gift from Parents Council members Armins and Cynthia Rusis P’28, of New London, New Hampshire. The couple are also members of the President’s Parents Leadership Council.
“By integrating fitness and wellness into the college experience, the center will help students establish habits that contribute to lifelong health,” Cynthia said. “Without a healthy balance between academics, recreation, and physical and mental resilience, it becomes significantly harder to thrive in today’s demanding and competitive world.”
The couple said they are “absolutely thrilled” with their daughter Lily’s Elon experience.
“The university offers an incredible range of opportunities, both academically, socially and through extracurricular involvement,” Cynthia said. “We’re deeply grateful for all that Elon provides and are proud to support the school and its mission.”
Their gift will also create the Rusis Family Elon Engagement Scholarship.
The Cannon Foundation has continued its loyal and generous support of the university, contributing $100,000 to the center. Since 2000, the foundation has made gifts to some of Elon’s key facilities, including the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center, R.N. Ellington Health Center, Physician Assistant Studies program, Inman Admissions Welcome Center and Koenigsberger Learning Center.
“The Cannon Foundation provided funding for this opportunity because it supports the total student,” said Suzanne Philemon, executive director of the foundation. “We want students to be successful and feel that these areas help make for a healthy, well-rounded human being. Our college and university students are our state’s future, and health and well-being are critical elements to their success.”
The foundation’s gift will also endow The Cannon Foundation Elon Engagement Scholarship to assist students pursuing a bachelor of science in nursing degree in the university’s School of Health Sciences, with preference for students from Cabarrus County, North Carolina.
How to Make an Impact
Many naming opportunities remain in the HealthEU Center, beginning at $50,000. Gift commitments may be made in full or with a pledge over five years. To find out how you can make an impact with your gift, contact Brian Baker, associate vice president for university advancement, at 336.278.7453 or bbaker7@elon.edu.