UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Board of Trustees Finance, Business and Capital Planning Committee advanced several Penn State Athletics projects to support the department's 800-plus student-athletes Thursday, May 4. The full board approved the projects Friday, May 5.
In addition to advancing the first phase of the renovation of Beaver Stadium, the committee also advanced a student-athlete training table and wellness center at the Greenberg Indoor Sports Center, the addition of a soccer complex at Jeffrey Field, a multi-use indoor practice facility, and renovations to East Area Locker Room and the Lasch Building.
If approved, the projects will be financed and paid for entirely by Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. No tuition dollars or educational budget funds will be used toward the renovations.
"Our ongoing and planned facility projects will enhance our student-athlete experience and position our teams to continue to be competitive on the national stage," said Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft. "Training Table and Wellness Center at Greenberg will bring our 31 varsity sports programs together to support our strong student-athlete community. The Center will also provide our student-athletes with the resources they need to achieve peak performance. Our soccer programs have been among the best in the country and this world-class new complex is a deserved home for them."
Greenberg Indoor Sports Center – Training Table and Wellness Center
This $31.9 million project will include a renovation of the building to include a food services athletic training table, as well as a wellness and athletic training center for student-athletes from all 31 athletics teams. The space, which is adjacent to the Morgan Academic Center, will provide a hub for the 800-plus student-athletes to attend to their academic, nutrition and wellness needs in one central location on campus.
The addition of an all-sport training table will provide the 800-plus student-athletes with a space to fuel to the prescribed needs of a high-performance athlete, as well as a space for all 31 teams to be able to interact with each other to continue to develop the athletics community. The menus at the training table will be designed by Athletics' nutrition staff and will provide meals that will help student-athletes execute at peak performance.
The wellness and athletic training center will provide medical, rehabilitation and nutrition services to all Penn State student-athletes. The nutrition area gives student-athletes an opportunity to have access to items to help them refuel following workouts and practices.
Jeffrey Field Soccer Complex
This $21.25 million project includes a new soccer operations facility, stadium renovation, parking and an entry plaza. The soccer operations center will house spaces for the men's and women's coaching staffs, locker rooms for both programs, as well as team meeting spaces. The soccer stadium renovations will include the creation of indoor bathrooms, concession stands, entry plazas and standing room only areas to improve fan experience and allow for the ability to host events.
Currently, both programs are housed in Rec Hall and are transported by bus to Jeffrey Field on game day. Once at Jeffrey Field, the teams are housed in temporary trailers without indoor plumbing. This project will allow the teams to have all facets of their program to be housed in one area, while also improving the student-athlete experience with permanent facilities.
Indoor Practice Bubble
This $9.8 million project will provide an indoor air-supported practice facility for varsity athletics programs. The indoor practice bubble will alleviate the scheduling stress and limited practice facilities, particularly in the winter and early spring months. From January until March, 10 programs currently use Holuba Hall, which creates limited practice windows in the early morning or late in the evening in order to comply with academic regulations. The addition of this indoor practice bubble will create additional and longer practice windows for teams.
East Area Locker Room Renovation
This $5.2 million project will renovate the first floor of East Area Locker Room. The renovation will include improvements to the sports performance area, fueling stations, satellite athletic training area, office suites and IT suite.
The renovated sports performance area will improve the student-athlete experience by providing more equipment and a large space to support the 16 teams that participate in strength training activities in the space. The enhanced fueling station also will have a far-reaching benefit for a number of student-athletes who can obtain items to aid in recovery following practice, weight training and competition.
Lasch Building Renovation
This $22 million project will include renovation of all office and meeting spaces on the second floor of the Lasch Building. The project will allow for the creation of office spaces to accommodate the current staff size, as well as meeting space for the staff's needs. In addition, the project includes the expansion and enclosure of the building's patio to allow for an event space to accommodate a large number of guests regardless of weather conditions.