Giving to IC

Rising to the Challenge

Ithaca College has been issued a challenge that IC alumni, parents, friends, faculty, staff, students, and trustees will be called upon to meet. The Atlantic Philanthropies has agreed to commit $7.5 million to a new athletics and events (A&E) center, but only if the people who care most about Ithaca College and IC students demonstrate their own commitment to making it happen.

The athletics and events center will not only finally give student-athletes the practice and competition space they desperately need, but will also serve as the largest indoor venue on campus for events that benefit the entire community, such as recent visits by Christiane Amanpour and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It will also house the entire campus community for events such as Convocation.

Currently, the College is raising funds to complete the first construction phase, which will include the following:

• The 130,000-square-foot main building (or field house), which will hold the Shari and Edward Glazer Arena, a track and field center that will double as a practice facility for lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, baseball, tennis, softball, and football; athletic memorabilia and awards displays; a strength training facility; a press box; and athletic offices.
• An outdoor stadium with lighted turf field. The 81,000-square-foot multisport synthetic playing surface will be illuminated to allow for evening use and regional broadcast of games. The lights will use special technology to minimize the impact on surrounding neighborhoods. Stadium seating will accommodate up to 1,000 spectators.
• A 35,000-square-foot aquatics pavilion, which will include an eight-lane Olympic-size pool with a diving area and movable bulkhead, a 15-20-foot-wide pool deck, and an 800-seat spectator area. A dividable wet classroom for athletics and academic programs will also be part of the aquatics pavilion. The College’s glass-enclosed gallery of champions will be featured within the thoroughfare leading from the field house to the aquatics pavilion.

When Will It Be Built?

We expect to break ground in late 2008, and construction of the first phase (the field house, outdoor stadium, and aquatics pavilion) will take approximately two years.