From Athletic Business
Review by Nick Merullo in SRM 435 (section 1)
Recently, the University of Notre Dame has announced their intentions to renovate and expand the historic Notre Dame Stadium at a cost of 400 million dollars. With a plan that current University president Rev. John Jenkins has called, “the most ambitious building project in the 172-year history of Notre Dame,” the school will be adding three to four thousand seats of “premium” seating, as well as adding three buildings to the stadium which will be centered on academics.
The expansion will feature building on the east, west and south sides of the stadium. On the west side the University plans to build an nine story, interactive student center. The new student center will also be used for campus recreation. Because of this, the old recreation facility will be transformed to a practice facility focused solely on the school’s men and women’s basketball teams in a separate project. This will allow the current press box will be torn down and placed on the east side of the stadium where it will be given a more lucrative and modern look. The new east side building will also be nine stories high, and will become the new home to the University’s anthropology and psychology departments, as well as featuring a new digital media center. A final building will be added to the south side of the stadium which will be used for hospitality purposes.
Notre Dame has yet to identify where exactly the funding will come from and hopes to begin construction next year. Jenkins has also said that the project should take nearly three years to finish. To add some perspective as to just how large the expansion will be, the article stated that Baylor University’s entirely new football stadium will cost the school 250 million dollars.
Although the brand of Notre Dame Football has consistently sold itself over the years due to its historic prestige, the school’s Athletic Director Jack Swarbick is excited about the new project. "It's such a powerful symbol given what's going on in college athletics right now, that you can take the stadium and say we believe in the integration of athletics into academics, and here's the living proof of it.” The current Notre Dame Stadium had been used solely for football purposes. With the expansion, the University will be able to market the facility from a standpoint of not just football, but also student life and academics. In an age where so much of the game day experience is based on incentives other than just the game itself, this will make the new facility unique in creating value of the stadium for today’s generation.
At the same time, the project must also take into consideration the opinions of the many football purists within the Notre Dame fan base. Because of this, the decision to refrain from any building on the stadium’s north side is key. This will prevent any obstruction of the famed mural of “Touchdown Jesus” which has long been known as a symbol of the tradition of Fighting Irish football. Although no decision has been made as to whether the playing surface will transition from natural grass to synthetic field turf, the school does intend to avoid placing any commercial advertising on its new interactive video screen scoreboard. And by combining the wants and needs of both the football purists and today’s generation of sports fans, Notre Dame may have the pieces in place for a premiere football facility.
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Review by Luke Drayer in SRM 435 (section 1)
The University of Notre Dame’s 84 year-old stadium is getting a facelift; a $400 million dollar one. The plan to expand was released this past Wednesday by the University’s President, Rev. John Jenkins. According to Jenkins, this expansion is “the most ambitious building project in the 172-year history of Notre Dame.”
Adding between 3,000 to 4,000 premium seats plus three academic buildings on the east, west, and south wings, the stadium will now serve more than just student athletes and their fans. Two new nine story buildings will be attached to the east and west wings, the west side housing the new Student Center which includes a Rec Center and the east side becoming the new home of the anthropology and psychology departments as well as a digital media center. On the south side there will be a six-story hospitality area. "What's exciting about this project is it brings together athletics, faculty and academics, research and a student center, so it's an integrated model," Jenkins said. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick is another proponent for this change. “It's such a powerful symbol given what's going on in college athletics right now, that you can take the stadium and say we believe in the integration of athletics into academics, and here's the living proof of it," Swarbrick said.
The integration of athletics and academics that Notre Dame is doing is really first of its kind in major college athletic programs and universities. However, by marketing it as such, it is drawing a much broader and larger crowd. Now, not just athletes and the fans will be using the stadium and its surrounding facilities, but everyday students as well. Instead of dumping millions of dollars into a facility that is used “six Saturdays a year” as stated in our video, it is now appealing to a much larger body. The integration of athletics and academics in one massive facility creates value beyond just the game day experience; it also provides a higher sense of school pride and less segregation between regular student and student-athletes.
While much of the expansion is targeting towards the younger generation of students, athletes, and fans, the University still understands its roots. Many of the Notre Dame ‘Purists’ don’t want to see their Touchdown Jesus, a long time good luck symbol for the Fighting Irish, taken down or covered up by the expansion. To see that all parties are pleased, the school has decided not to build anything on the north end of the field. Another concern of the older generation is that of having too much commercial advertising on the new scoreboard, which the school has agreed not to have.
The idea of marketing this new stadium as a multi-purpose facility that integrates both athletics and academics is brilliant and one that I think will start a trend amongst other major universities across the country. While upgrading the facility, not only are they improving the image of the football program, but also that of the university and their value on both the academic and athletic side. The school is promoting themselves as one that is well rounded and doing so with its football program at the forefront; the epitome of sports marketing.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Summer Employment: Summit Bechtel Reserve’s Christen High Adventure Base (W.V.)
The Summit Bechtel Reserve’s Christen High Adventure Base is the newest outdoor adventure education facility, in the heart of West Virginia’s New River Gorge. The High Adventure Base is home to an impressive collection of program facilities including 7 challenge courses, 37 miles of downhill and cross country mountain bike trails, 12 canopy tours, 60,000 sq ft of rock climbing structures , to list a few. You can visit http://www.summithighadventure.org to explore The Summit and the programs offered.
They are currently accepting online applications for seasonal staff positions at http://www.summitblog.org/programs/employment/ and looking for men and women 18 years of age or older to help run the 2014 high adventure program.
They will be hiring staff, instructor/guide and manager positions for:
Climbing
Canopy Tours
Zip-lines
Challenge courses
Shooting sports
Kayaking
Mountain biking
BMX
Skateboarding
Camp commissioners
Registration
Logistics
Support staff
This is a great opportunity for students to utilize and refine the skills, education and training they have received thus far and gain further training and ‘in the field experience’ providing exciting adventure education programs. Keep in mind that applicants do not need to be members of the BSA to apply, but must be willing to become members if they are offered a position.
Internship Opportunity: PGA Tour Summer Internship Program
The PGA TOUR National HQ is once again recruiting for the PGA Tour Summer Internship Program. By leveraging the assets of the PGA TOUR, they are able to offer students a variety of internship opportunities designed to provide optimal exposure and quality first-hand experience in the golf industry. The intern page can be found at http://www.pgatour.com/company/internships.html. The application deadline for yur students is February 28, 2014.
The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Web.com Tour and is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Program Overview Over the course of our 10 week paid internship program, you will learn about the inner workings of the PGA TOUR and gain an understanding of our corporate functions. In addition to the active role you will have within your department, we will provide you with a classroom based curriculum that will provide an opportunity for personal and professional growth. You will have the opportunity to learn about our core business units first hand from several leaders within our organization as well as fine tune your resume and interview skills that will help you prepare for your future. And, of course, we will have a little bit of fun in the process including opportunities to participate in charity activities, networking events and golf outings!
All internship positions for our 2014 Summer Internship Program will be located at our Headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
At the time of application, all candidates must meet the following criteria:
• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program
• Currently enrolled as a sophomore or higher
• Cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0
• Eligible to work in the United States
Key Dates: Application Deadline: February 28, 2014
Screening & Interviewing Process: March 1, 2014 - May 1, 2014
Internship Dates: June 2, 2014 - August 8, 2014
The PGA TOUR is an equal opportunity employer.
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