Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1390373
B randon Short doesn't mind being the front man for the $48.3 mil- lion Lasch Football Building ren- ovation project, nor is he bothered by some of the criticism he has taken for being so outspoken since Penn State's board of trustees approved the project in February. A former All-America linebacker for the Nittany Lions, Short said he .rmly believes the venture is a vital investment for the university, the State College business community, the university's loyal football fans and – per- haps most important – the long-term ac- ademic needs of the school. Short's recent re-election to the board by an overwhelming margin against six other candidates in the alumni voting segment probably had little to do with his strong position on the Lasch renovations. Aer all, 26 other trustees approved the project at the board's February meeting, including Terry Pegula, the man who gave Penn State its men's and women's varsity ice hockey teams and the arena in which they compete. Actually, this is just the .rst phase of a $69 million overhaul of Lasch that the board initially approved in 2019, with HOK of Philadelphia as the architect. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a delay in the implementation of those e orts. The athletic department took out a loan to get the project started with HOK. Short said if the board had not approved the $48.3 million in February, there would have been a $4 million penalty. With college athletics in a period of up- heaval brought on by NCAA edicts, court judgments, player demands and new state and federal laws, Short says not in- vesting now would be detrimental to Penn State. "Change is constant, and the entire NCAA is being a ected by these changing dynamics," Short said in an early-June telephone conversation from his Round Hill Capital oDce in London. "But what is certain is that there will be college foot- BUILDING BOOM PSU trustee Brandon Short sees athletic spending as integral to the university's mission | SHORT LASCH BASH Penn State's trustees approved funding in February for further Lasch Build- ing renovations. Rendering cour- tesy of Penn State Athletics