Facilities race

[MSOrange]

Obviously there is a huge difference between state school and private university, but I was just reading this article about the University of Iowa (my dad is a grad so I follow them closely too) - and he is what they have going on. Wow!

"Phase 1 cost $19.5 million, includes a new indoor field, and is expected to be finished in August.
The athletic department is going before the Board of Regents this week to get approval for the schematic design, project description and budget for Phase 2.
Phase 2 is expected to cost $36.6 million and provide new offices, meeting rooms, lockers and a 22,500-square-foot strength and conditioning area on the southern end of the new indoor facility."

 

[ImperialOrange]

That's not even 2 years worth of BTN revenue. Must be nice!

 

[PeteCalvin]

In Iowa, all you need to do is build it, and they will come. At least, that's what they are hoping for. It is still Iowa, after all.

 

[OttoMets]

It's news like this that leaves me considerably less excited than most about SU's facilities expansion.

It's an unsustainable process with no articulated end goal - SU's going to renovate locker rooms and player facilities, and eventually build a new indoor practice field that is sure to leave all of us (and recruits, for a time) wildly impressed. Then some state school is going to raise the bar with some as-of-now-unconceived amenities for its athletes and Syracuse is going to be scrambling to keep up.

(Apropos of nothing, Iowa has pretty nice facilities; they never seem to get as much acclaim as the other Big Ten schools. Iowa City's a really neat town.)

 

[sufandu]

In this era of state budget deficits where both rural and inner city school systems are scratching and clawing for basic necessary renovations, how can state governments justify this? Are they getting all of their funding by way of donations? Our culture is (and probably has been for a while) getting it's priorities way out of whack. I know this isn't what this thread is about, but man it's crazy what we deem as important now (as evidenced by where we spend our money). Sorry.