Life University has announced an $80 million renovation of its Marietta campus to add a gymnasium-auditorium for graduations and assemblies, day care center, new cafe, student housing for 300, and a 600-space parking deck,.

The 110-acre campus will undergo a facelift with extensive landscaping and covered sidewalks in Phase I of the capital improvement plan.

The "Livable Campus" design is expected to attract students which will in turn be "an economic and cultural enhancement" to the City of Marietta and the region, said university President Guy Riekeman.

University officials said the plan will make Life University a "world class center for health care education and research and a think tank for health topics" and other issues.

The project is being financed by tax-exempt bonds issued by the Development Authority of the city of Marietta, which approved by proposal earlier this month. Life University will be responsible for the payments.

Life offers a chiropractic doctorate degree and 11 undergraduate degree programs in health-related fields. It currently enrolls some 2,000 students from throughout the United States and 23 other countries.