UH’s athletic department is closer to getting the funds needed for the renovations to Hofheinz Pavilion and a new football stadium.
The department has currently raised $40 million, but is still trying to cover the cost of $75-80 million for the football stadium.
“We are in the fundraising arm, but what we are getting are commitments,” Cassie Arner, associate athletics director for communications said. “People aren’t writing checks at the moment, but we have commitment for about $40 million.”
Even though the university faces budget cuts, the renovations to Hofheinz Pavilion and the new football stadium are safe because the funds come from private donations, according to Arner.
The department is only counting money from people who have made firm commitments, not those who have shown interest, according to Arner. They are focusing on getting additional commitments from individuals before moving on to the corporate side.
“We’ll sit down and talk about what interest they have in being a part of the project,” Arner said. “There are things like naming rights — and not just stadium naming rights, but the individual parts of the facilities that are open to naming rights.”
Arner said facilities like the lockers rooms, press boxes, and academic facilities within the new football stadium will all be open to naming rights.
“We feel confident that we need to get to $75-80 million to advance the program to be able to move forward and start with the designing phase of the project.”
While the university will unveil its new football stadium in 2013 to replace the 68-year-old Robertson Stadium, Hofheinz Pavilion will be getting a facelift in large part to keep most of its storied tradition.
“It’s an honor to walk in that building and see so many banners and jerseys and being around Elvin Hayes, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, just to name a few,” said James Dickey, men’s basketball head coach. “It’s important to honor that tradition and those people.”
Arner said the tradition will be kept alive because the renovations will be made to the existing structure, which will give it the same look and feel.
Head coaches Todd Buchanan and Dickey have been allowed to have an input on what amenities the new Hofheinz Pavilion should have.
“We share ideas about what we think will be important,” Dickey said. “Obviously we want to fit in cosmetically with what the university is doing, but at the same time we want to have as many amenities as possible for the student athletes.”
The renovations include hospitality seating, loge boxes and suites, as well as practice facilities for the basketball team and necessary amenities such as sports medicine and academics.
The renovated Hofheinz is already playing an intricate part of the recruiting process for Dickey and his staff who have begun to use it for recruits.
What would be better is to use private funds for academic purposes rather than a football program that can't even compete in a lesser conference. If we were in the BIG 12 and playing the likes of Texas, Texas Tech, or Oklahoma than maybe I would understand but we're not!
Plus the football program is subsidized by students and if it weren't for tuition dollars, we wouldn't be fielding a football team and the stadium would be empty.
Very well then. If the football program/athletic department is profitable or self-sufficient, why do I have to pay for it? Part of my tuition dollars go towards athletics which doesn't sit well with me. If private donors want to foot the bill and keep athletics, fine with me but don't use part of student's tuition dollars to pay for athletics.
You're trying to make the argument against all college athletics here. As for why you shouldn't just base your argument on football, your fees don't just pay for football, they pay for all sports here. UH must comply with Title IX regulations, which means that sports like women's soccer that aren't traditionally profitable must be funded in the same way as men's sports regardless of profitability.
Here are some reasons as to why I am more than willing to pay for athletics in mandatory fees. In today's world, most universities gain a foothold on brand reputation through college athletics. College athletics, especially if successful, provide an opportunity for the university to raise funds by licensing collegiate logos on various products. The more people want to buy UH products, the more money UH makes. The more UH products that exist out there, the more nationally recognized a university is. It's literally drastically more effective than advertising! How do you think a small private school with a moderate level of academics like Notre Dame has gained such a national reputation? College athletics can even make our degrees stand-out more from universities that have a weak national image when being hired.
Also, athletics actively engage students with something to rally behind. When students feel engaged, they tend to feel a connection to the university. This later translates to many different kinds of alumni donations down the road. Don't be so short-sighted about the positive impact athletics provide to the university.