Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703041
The former Greenberg Ice Pavilion has been transformed into the Morgan Aca- demic Center, and last month university officials toured the sparkling new facili- ty alongside media members. At a cost of roughly $7.2 million, the 32,000-square-foot facility is athletic director Sandy Barbour's first chance to put her stamp on Penn State's facilities. Having opened its doors two weeks earlier, the facility played host to admin- istrators, reporters, photographers and Penn State support personnel on June 22. Consolidating what had been as many as five former hubs for student-athlete ac- ademic support around Penn State's campus, the facility features study space, technology, specialized equipment and even sports psychology offices. "This was about putting all of our aca- demic support efforts together," Barbour said. "The design and the way that this center will operate are certainly based on those who will use it, both staff and stu- dents, most heavily." Unveiled in the interim between the sleepy final days of the first academic summer session and the second session beginning in late June, the lounges, reading rooms and study areas all were mostly vacant on the day of the tour. But not entirely. True freshman basketball player Joe Hampton, sat huddled next to a computer monitor with a support staffer. Hampton, who had enrolled in May, was working on a speech that he was to present in class later that day. It was a scene that Penn State aims to duplicate dozens of times on a daily ba- sis at the center, which will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Work crews were still putting the finishing touches on the fa- cility, but the students and support staffers who have made their way through its halls have all reflected an ex- citement about the space. "It's all been really positive. It's been kind of that 'wow,' " Barbour said. "They don't say it, but I certainly read into their feeling that academics are really important. They know that [will be the case when they're] coming to Penn State, but this is a physical manifesta- tion of that. This is a physical statement about our commitment to academics that obviously we support in so many other ways, but facilities are a big part of that and very visible, obviously." Hampton was happy to attest to the center's impact. Making the transition from Oak Hill Academy in Virginia to PSU, he has been able to use the facility and is already understanding its benefits. "Being that I'm a freshman, it's a tough transition but it's actually great because you didn't have this help in high school," he said. "There's much more help. It's harder, [so] you need that help." Penn State is expected to release its fa- cilities master plan in late summer or early fall. Renovations to the Lasch Building, which is attached to the Mor- gan Academic Center, are expected to be completed by the fall. – NATE BAUER STUDY HALL Located next to the Lasch Building, the Mor- gan Center will serve as a hub for the university's academic support services. Photo by Patrick Mansell FACILITIES Morgan Center consolidates Penn State's academic support tercollegiate Athletics annually spends in excess of $500,000 to en- sure an enjoyable, safe and successful game day. Facility preparations, se- curity, traffic/parking, game day staffing and portable lighting and toilets are among the areas of greatest expense," the release stated. It takes more than 650 staff mem- bers to stage the game, including law enforcement and medical services personnel, parking attendants, gate staff and more. According to the re- lease, Penn State also spends nearly $60,000 for postgame clean-up out- side Beaver Stadium and approxi- mately $9,000 for clean-up inside the stadium. Admission to the Blue-White Game will remain free of charge. Assistant coaches receive contract extensions After a series of staff changes over the winter that included the depar- ture of two assistants to SEC schools, Penn State has extended the pacts of James Franklin's staff. Franklin said in June that the coaches he brought with him from Vanderbilt all signed two-year deals when they arrived at Penn State in 2014. Those deals have been extended another two years, he said. "All of the assistants, their first con- tracts just ran out. And they all just signed multiple-year, guaranteed con- tracts," Franklin said. "All the strength coaches did, all the administrators, everybody. So that's really good from a stability standpoint. It's helpful." Franklin hired three coaches during the off-season, bringing in Joe Moor- head to serve as offensive coordinator, Matt Limegrover as offensive line coach and Tim Banks as safeties coach. All three have bought houses in the State College area, Franklin said, indi- cating that they plan to stay a while. "Buying houses is always a good sign," Franklin said. "As a head coach, you always like to see that." ■