STARKVILLE, MS
Healthy living through a walk on campus
Mississippi State University officials know the value of exercise and building the right habits at an early age. With that in mind, the school built a one-mile walking trail on campus.
Neel-Schaffer provided engineering design and construction services for the trail, which circles Chadwick Lake and passes by the school’s athletic administration buildings and student recreation center. Construction was financed by a $500,000 grant from the Bluecross & Blueshield of Mississippi Foundation.
“The difference it makes in your life is unbelievable,” said MSU athletic director Scott Stricklin, an avid runner, on the benefits of exercise for students and faculty. “I can’t stress enough what a great opportunity we have on this campus.”
“If you don’t start exercising regularly before you finish college, there’s only a five-percent chance you will begin to do so later in life,” said Bob Collins, MSU’s director of University Health Services. “You are on the cusp of a time when you need to make these changes in your life.”
The one-mile, concrete loop connects to an existing boardwalk on the banks of the small campus lake. The six-foot wide trail is for pedestrian use only and connects to another existing path that parallels a main campus road. There are several other entrance points and elevated seating areas along the ADA-compliant path.
