“The Campaign for Excellence in Athletics”
PDF of official documents about the project.
Database with links to other facilities in the Mountain West Conference.
Plan and Goal for Project
One of the most difficult choices people face is what college he or she should attend. Colorado State is hoping to make that decision a little easier for perspective new student-athletes by building two new facilities. This is the university’s most aggressive initiative since the 1960s when Moby Arena and Hughes Stadium were built. “These buildings show that Colorado State is unmistakably serious about achieving its stretch goals. These buildings, combined with the recent renovations at our football stadium, put us where we need to be in terms of offering quality, state-of-the-art facilities to our coaches and student-athletes,” said athletic director Paul Kowalczyk. The university hopes these buildings will enable the achievement of its three goals to strive for in the upcoming year: to be number one in the Director’s Cup, to be included every year in a bowl championship and to have NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament participation. The suggested methods of achieving such goals include increasing resources, growing the endowment and building “attractive, new athletics facilities.” Kowalczyk added, “When I first arrived, the president asked me what we needed to be successful. And of course facilities, quality facilities, are absolutely essential to having any success.”
The overarching purpose behind the development of these facilities is to catch the eye of high school athletes who are flipping through the plethora of college letters and brochures. The administration strongly believes that this will enhance the athletes’ performance and make the school a more prominent force in the Mountain West Conference. “Certainly there are several keys to being successful, one of them is having the right people in place, and I think we have that in place right now. Facilities aren’t going to get you there, but they will help get you there and help you stay there, and we have been behind for years,” said Kowalczyk. “It’s a statement about our program. It means we care about ourselves and we’re going to go out and recruit the best student-athletes we can and put Colorado State back on the map.”
Indoor Practice Facility
This project, referred to as “The Campaign for Excellence in Athletics,” will consist of an indoor practice facility and an academic and training center. The indoor practice facility will consist of a 70-yard synthetic-turf football field; a four-lane, 70-meter track; a shoe-changing room; a regulation basketball court; and a training room. “Both the training facility and the new academic center are not exclusive for any one particular sport, but for now will only be open to student-athletes,” Kowalczyk said. The indoor facility will be at the end of Moby, just south of the McGraw Athletic Center, and will be joined through a hallway to Moby Arena.
Academic and Training Facility
“The academic and training center, which will contain the Anderson Academic Center, is a perfect complement of mind and body and the student-athlete concept,” said Kowalczyk. “It reinforces our commitment to academics and our desires to have our student-athletes achieve their athletic potential.” The academic and training center will comprise a weight room, strength and conditioning offices, a nutrition center, five tutorial rooms and a computer lab. This center will be located on the south side of Moby Arena, and according to the plans, there will be parking space where the tennis courts are currently located. Therefore, the plan is for a new set of tennis courts to be built across the street where the Alumni Association is. Kowalczyk added, “Certainly from a recruiting standpoint there’s no better tool. Mom and Dad will love the academic portion of that facility, and of course, the student-athletes will love the weight room because they spend so much time in there.”
Student Responses About the Facilities
When the administration announced their plans for the new facilities, the response from the student body was not what would have been expected. The students realized that this new $20 million project meant yet another tuition increase on their already limited financial budgets. The academic facility faced the most scrutiny among the student body since the Morgan Library provides all of the basic necessities for an enhanced learning experience. Many students especially protested the fact that they will be graduating before the proposed affects can impact the athletic program. “I already pay out-of-state tuition so increasing the cost just adds to the pain of trying to afford to go here,” marketing and real estate major Jessica Puckett said with a sigh. “They should take out a loan and raise tuition fees for the students who will actually benefit from it.” The university is accepting donations and has received some very strong support to help ease the pain of students who are barely getting by. “For us as an institution, and I think our fans will soon realize, this is long overdue and I think they’ll be excited about it happening, really any time, now’s as good a time as any,” said Kowalczyk.
Athletes are seeing this endeavor as a good way of showing that their efforts out on the field, court and track are not going unnoticed and their battles each game are truly worthwhile. “A new facility will reflect the support provided by the university and our supporters for academic and athletic success,” said Mekana Barnes of the women’s volleyball team. In reflection of Barnes’ comment and on last year’s devastating football season, Puckett said she would not be so against it if they had proven their ability to do well in previous years. “It is not that I do not support the teams. I still go to the games and am as big a fan as the rest,” Puckett said. “But they will still have to face the elements out on the field so I am not convinced that the facilities will actually help.” Football coach Steve Fairchild said that he would, “prefer his team to practice in the elements as often as possible, so we will utilize the indoor facility to avoid lightning during thunderstorms that frequently disrupt August workouts.”
The biggest aim of the project is to give the recruiting administrators something to lure high school students with. “The indoor practice facility will not only provide our team the opportunity to practice in a state-of-the-art facility, but will enhance our ability to bring the best student-athletes to CSU,” said Tom Hilbert, the head coach of the women’s volleyball team. Since Colorado State is not a huge contender in the collegiate athletic realm right now, they hope that cream-of-the-crop athletes will come here because of the superior training environment. This may not be the case for every athlete though. Raeleigh Withey, a high school senior and goalie for Rocky Mountain High School, said that when looking for a college her main objectives revolved around the academic credibility of the school, the location and the team itself. She said that good facilities are nice but are an “accessory that we have to pay extra for.” Her decision was also based on the scholarship she was recently awarded from the College of Saint Mary in Nebraska. Withey may not have taken the facilities into account while deciding her college future, but the administration at CSU is hoping other student-athletes will. Even though the controversy and skepticism from the Colorado State student body remains, the construction of the new facilities has commenced and is said to be completed sometime in 2009. The university is doing what it can to inspire greatness and achieve its goals for athletic success. “It illustrates how serious we are about the future of Ram athletics and shows that we’ve come to play,” Kowalczyk said. “These new facilities will benefit all of our programs. It will certainly help us in recruiting, and most importantly, they will help the image of this university and its athletic department–that it is first class.”
Funding for the Project
The administrators did take into account the students’ tuition and have put in place additional ways of raising money for the project. “We recognize the economic situation, and I think the people who can help us with that are in a situation where that won’t be as big a factor for them. We’re raising money,” said Kowalczyk. “We’re in the process of fundraising. We have $1.785 million in the bank right now, and we’re in the process of continuing to ask, getting to know people and putting ourselves in position.” The academic center will be named after Brett and Danette Anderson who donated the first $1.5 million for this $20 million project. The project is being financed through bonds approved by the Colorado State Board of Governors. “The Board of Governors approval will allow us to start, and that’s a major commitment, unlike any this university’s made before,” Kowalczyk said. “Still we have to pay for it, and that means our alums, our donors and our fans need to stop looking for somebody else to help. They need to take the ownership in this program and step up in a big way like the Andersons and like the Markleys.” Doug and Gene Markley gave $250,000 toward the project last fall. Aller-Lingle Architects, a local firm, and Indianapolis-based RATIO Architects designed the facilities. According to Kowalczyk, six companies placed bids for the construction of the facilities, but the Colorado State administration chose Saunders Construction of Englewood. “We started with what we think we really needed and then we put budgets together, and we are continually making decisions along the way,” said Kowalcyzk. “And the way things are going right now, prices are going up as we’re sitting here. We need to get a move on things so there’s no more inferiority complex here at CSU. We can dream big, we can reach, strive and succeed.”
