Blue White Illustrated

Given the breadth of Penn State's mas- ter plan for its facilities, athletic director Sandy Barbour isn't worried about a slight delay. Penn State had been expected to re- lease the plan to the public at the end of the summer or in early September. De- tailing improvements to Beaver Stadium and many other athletic venues, it had been eagerly awaited by those looking for a glimpse at the university's future. But Barbour revealed in December that the release had been delayed. Speaking to Steve Jones on the Penn State Sports Network's weekly coaches radio show, she said she now expects the plan to be unveiled in January. "I'm really excited about it. It's impor- tant to us, it's important across the board, but also let's remember that it's a 20-year plan. We have a couple of things that frankly, we're not tweaking, we're just providing some more options… to make sure that we have some wiggle room in it," Barbour said. "We got to September and we were very close to being ready, and then we decided that the plan itself needed some *exibility and some options around, in particular, two projects, two of the elements to the master plan. "That's going to take us a little bit longer, so we're looking at sometime in January. Because it's 20 years, we felt it was much more important that we get it right than we get it out there fast." Containing projects that are expected to be implemented over the next two decades, the master plan has rami)ca- tions that extend well beyond the facili- ties themselves, Barbour said. "We're going to fundraise from this, we're going to recruit from this, we're going to plan a lot of other things, a lot of other programmatic elements from a departmental standpoint around this," she said, "so we want to get it right." Barbour didn't discuss any speci)cs regarding Beaver Stadium. She had pre- viously said that the stadium would likely lose some of its seating capacity but would still hold more than 100,000 spectators. The biggest imperative of any renovation, she said, is to make the facility more fan-friendly. "Beaver Stadium is all about the fan experience and all about the comfort of our fans, because the student-athlete piece of that has already been taken care of," she said. "Our team operates out of there one day a week. That [project] is all about our fans." Since 2012, Penn State has been coping with the e+ects of the NCAA sanctions that followed the Sandusky scandal. The )nancial penalties that were included in the sanctions took a toll on the athletic department, but Barbour said Penn State's )scal situation is improving. "I think that we are getting healthier and healthier," she said. "We were chal- lenged )nancially at the time, and we still are. We were challenged )nancially because of some of the )nes, because of the reduction in revenue. That has all started to come back." – N.B. 111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S 111 E. Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S that precede them, the particulars of this underdog story will never be dupli- cated or even imitated at Penn State or anywhere else. The crimes that gave rise to the scan- dal have been unanimously con- demned, and no one would ever wish to relive the darkest moments of the real- world tragedy that enveloped the pro- gram and in some ways kept it from serving as a unifying force in the com- munity. But with its success in recent months, the team has once again ful- filled that familiar role, bringing people together the way it did in previous decades. By demonstrating resiliency and a will to overcome challenges, the program's return to normalcy is a mo- ment worthy of both celebration and introspection. ■ FACILITIES Master plan expected in January

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