Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1015973
Penn State is continuing to make progress as it works to raise funds for improvements to its football facilities, athletic director Sandy Barbour told re- porters last month at Big Ten media days in Chicago. The multiphase project has been under way for several years and has already transformed some parts of the Lasch Building and Holuba Hall, including the team auditorium, primary lobby, team locker room and weight room. Barbour said she's been pleased with the progress that has been made so far. "We've raised close to $25 million in the course of the last four years; $7 million of that has been this last year," she said. "The phase we're in right now is the position meeting rooms. Those are ,nishing up… and then I think the player's lounge is probably next, with some second--oor projects to follow a/er that. But the fundraising has got some good momentum, and we feel very good about that." Since his arrival at Penn State in 2014, coach James Franklin has cited the need for improvements to the Lasch Build- ing. Speaking to reporters this past spring during the Coaches Caravan, Franklin said internal studies have shown that Penn State's football-spe- cific spending has lagged behind that of most other Big Ten programs over the past eight years. "The hard part is, there was probably a 10-year period where we weren't really doing the things that we needed to do year in and year out, so we're trying to play catch-up," Franklin said in May. "We have parts of our facility where the carpet hasn't been changed in 20 years. "The hard part is, it's not like every- body else is pressing the pause button waiting for us to catch up. So as we're trying to catch up, they've got their foot on the gas driving forward. We've made tremendous progress in a short period of time, but we've got to go. I knew we had to go, and we have a process in stages of how we're going to work at it, but now a/er getting done this deep dive on research and seeing clearly where we are over a three-year, ,ve-year and an eight-year period of time, in all these di.erent areas – salaries, facilities, all these dif- ferent things – we've got some work to do." Barbour said Penn State is "not trying to copy what anybody else is doing" and suggested that the university would not participate in the facilities arms race that has dominated much of the national col- lege football conversation in recent years. "We're certainly trying to tell our story in the best way and provide our current student-athletes with the space neces- sary, the kinds of investment necessary for them to study, compete and train every day," she said. "But I think if we get through those phases that I talked about [at the Lasch Building], we'll be in really good position. "I think what we've done has been very tasteful, very Penn State. It tells our story. We've got such a great story of history and tradition of success both on the ,eld and o., that our building needs to tell that story as a reminder to our students every day who walk in that building as well as to those who might consider coming to Penn State, make sure they understand what they're com- ing to." Barbour said Penn State will do what is necessary to remain competitive in today's college football environment, but she added that the university's focus will be on creating the kind of facilities that re-ect the character of the program, not the kind that rely on opulence to im- press. "I don't think we're doing anything extravagant," she said. "I think what we're doing is creating really high-qual- ity space for training, educating, teach- ing, learning and competing. Whether it's conscious or subconscious, [stu- dent-athletes] have this feeling that their university has invested in their success. To tell the story, the history, tradition is a very important part of that. I don't believe that we're doing anything that is of extravagance, and that will al- ways be our way." –NATE BAUER F O O T B A L L Barbour: Fundraising eorts build 'good momentum' THE BIG HOUSE Barbour tours Beaver Stadium with Franklin and university presi- dent Eric Barron. Photo by An- nemarie Mountz