Shriver Center

The Shriver Center, located at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, was first opened as the University Center in 1958. Later it was renamed as the Phillip R. Shriver Center, and provided space for not just the student body at the University, but also for faculty, staff and the greater Oxford community.Today the student body is triple the size it was 50 years ago when the University Center first opened. Although the building is still a cornerstone of the Miami University Campus, due to high demand from the community and severe limitations on space, there is little room left for students. Therefore a new student union building, the Armstrong Student Center was built, located diagonally across from the Shriver Center, in the heart of Miami University’s campus.Miami University's Student Shriver Center wasn’t built and allowed for public use until 1957. It was originally known as the University Center and was made as a center designed specifically for students after World War II. Prior to this being built, the students did not have a center dedicated specifically to them. The closest thing the student body had for recreational purposes – other than a gym – was what was known as the Miami’s Redskin Reservation, which was simply a dining hall. After World War II, students petitioned for a center for themselves.