Gifts from prior chairs Mary Boosalis, Steve Cobb, Rick Omlor and Dave Yeager, along with their spouses, will support the 32,800-square-foot facility. Doctors, therapists and counselors will practice in the building, which students can also use for physical exercise.
Beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, undergraduate students who entered in fall 2025 and later will pay $600 a year to support a portion of the expansion and significant increase in services, UD said.
University officials said UD is communicating this fee upfront in students’ financial aid offers.
“With the creation of the new Health and Wellbeing Center, we’re making an investment in the holistic development of our students, ensuring they thrive and persist through graduation and beyond,” said UD president Eric Spina. “I am so deeply grateful to these faithful lead donors for their generosity to UD and their deep care for our students.”
Omlor, UD board chair from 2022-2025 and past CEO and chairperson of water monitoring and sampling firm YSI Inc, said the need for more mental health care led to the contribution from him and his wife, Elizabeth Hardy, a clinical psychologist in private practice.
“Our contribution is for the mental health section of the health and wellness project to address the increasing need for the facility and services the counseling center provides,” Omlor said.
The new center will increase health center appointment capacity by 80% and counseling center clinical hours by 46%, according to UD.
Cobb and his wife, Molly, said they saw the importance of student mental health and wellbeing after their youngest child, Emmy, now 26, attended UD from 2017-2021.
In addition to the main facility, the Cobbs’ gift will support The Wellness Experience Learning Lab, or The WELL, an integrative therapy space with holistic relaxation modules like muscle recovery tools, vibrating chairs and aromatherapy, UD said.
Yeager, former CEO and current executive chair of the Hub Group, recalled discussions with UD administrators more than four years ago about bringing more mental health resources to campus.
“When I learned how committed the administration was to advancing student health and wellbeing, I knew I wanted to help move that vision forward and invest in the future of students.,” Yeager said.
Boosalis, UD board chair from 2019-2022 and former president and CEO of Premier Health, and her husband, Tom Olsen, a doctor with Dermatologists of Central States, donated a significant gift during early fundraising.
Boosalis said the gift will support mental health initiatives, particularly early intervention efforts for students facing mental health challenges while on campus.
“I think mental and physical health are inextricably linked,” Boosalis said. “The new center aligns so well with the mission of UD – educating the whole person in mind, body and spirit. There is still some stigma surrounding mental health, so having a facility that brings it into the open is symbolic in acknowledging its importance.”
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