According to President Andrew K. Benton funding for the athletic facilities came from previously allocated money and plans for the renovation have been underway for some time.
“We maintain reserves to upgrade facilities classrooms and so forth Benton wrote in an e-mail. We found funding that was adequate to dramatically improve our training facilities and I was happy to make the investment.”
The cutting of the swimming and diving as well as the men’s track team was arguably the most noticeable of all budget reductions in 2008. However all areas of the university were affected.
“Every university budget was asked to reduce base funding by 10 percent for this fiscal year and that included athletics Benton wrote.
In other divisions, many teaching positions were cut.
We felt we should reduce our on-going operational costs as a university which also helped support our lowest tuition increase in more than three decades Benton wrote.
Also mentioned in the Aug. 31 Graphic was the prospect of continued athletic renovations, specifically to the Firestone Fieldhouse. The current economy forced the plans for an entire new gym to be put on hold, but the university has not lost sight of these plans. Benton sees it as a high priority and something that will happen in the relatively near future.
Athletics figures significantly in the next fundraising campaign Benton wrote. I would like to think we will be able to undertake our next major project within five years.”
In an e-mail interview John Watson went into more detail.
“The ultimate goal is to obtain permission and obtain funding to build an event center and convert Firestone Fieldhouse into a student recreation center Watson wrote. We are currently working through all the regulatory requirements necessary to obtain permission to construct the new facility and make the necessary modifications to Firestone for students needs.”