Facilities

[usc4valpo]

Like many universities, get corporate sponsorship to offset costs. There are credible sponsors out there. Drake and Valpo are similarly sized universities - the excuses not to upgrade are too conservative. The ARC is the worst facility in the Valley, and this situation needs to be addressed.

[vu72]

It is not that simple. They are raising $250M in endowment, which is structured to run in perpetuity and is not (to my knowledge) generally applied to capital. By raising $250M in endowment, any university generally plans to invest the money and always retain the principle. Thus, if you assume a 6% annual rate of return, Valpo would spend $15M per year from the endowed money. Additionally, while that is a lot of money in a given year, a substantial portion of endowment money is tied to specific uses (my guess is that the most common is scholarships). And if, by chance, Valpo can use some of the principle towards capital (which I doubt), they still cannot use money in ways different than what was agreed to with the donor.

Raising $250M in endowment is definitely the right thing to do, as it increases the sustainability of the university. This might create some sort of indirect effect to free up other funds for capital programs, but it is likely not as much as you might think.

(this is my general knowledge of endowments, including knowledge from some minimal interaction with Valpo. If someone has better knowledge of how Valpo structures endowments, please correct me)

You are generally correct on the structure of endowment giving.  The 250M goal does include things like The Day of Giving and that day provides donors with the ability to give to things like Athletics without it being dedicated to Athletic Endowment.  One large donor did give 2M for basketball recruiting endowment but that is still tied to a specific plan.

Even if all the 250M was dedicated to endowment (most is), it still will take several and in some cases many years for Valpo to actually receive these funds. 84's comments about declining enrollment are spot on.  We will be fighting for students, let alone good quality students.  Schools with smaller endowments will by necessity have to "discount" their tuitions and, as St. Joes found out, that can't be sustained without the endowment to back those discounts.

[FieldGoodie05]

Valpo is fundraising $250m, quit showing so much frugality and make a move.if you want to be in the Valley, prove it.

We are already in the MVC so that carrot dangling out front of the VU administration to "upgrade the ARC before the invite" has been taken out of the equation.  IMO that was a significant carrot and I hope it doesn't diminish the desire to upgrade mid-term.  I'd hope to see other things accomplished for the general student population first but if they desire this upgrade to happen and have a significant donor for it then, heck, why not.

Does anyone have concrete examples from our peer-Universities on what an upgrade looks like financially?  Are we talking . . .

A) $3,000,000 to $5,000,000
B) $5,000,001 to $7,000,000
C) $7,000,001 to $10,000,000
D) over $10,000,000

Scenario 1:  Includes A/C, permanent seating, sound system, numerous video screens, upgrade to training room, upgrade to weight room, reposition concessions, enhanced lighting.

Scenario 2: All of the above + building out the north wall (near football field) and expanding to allow for a symmetrical arena look.  In this scenario I would not want the seating on the south wall to extend as high as it does.  It's my opinion it needs to be about 2/3 as tall as it presently is.

[vuny98]

Valpo is fundraising $250m, quit showing so much frugality and make a move.if you want to be in the Valley, prove it.

We are already in the MVC so that carrot dangling out front of the VU administration to "upgrade the ARC before the invite" has been taken out of the equation.  IMO that was a significant carrot and I hope it doesn't diminish the desire to upgrade mid-term.  I'd hope to see other things accomplished for the general student population first but if they desire this upgrade to happen and have a significant donor for it then, heck, why not. Does anyone have concrete examples from our peer-Universities on what an upgrade looks like financially?  Are we talking . . . A) $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 B) $5,000,001 to $7,000,000 C) $7,000,001 to $10,000,000 D) over $10,000,000 Scenario 1:  Includes A/C, permanent seating, sound system, numerous video screens, upgrade to training room, upgrade to weight room, reposition concessions, enhanced lighting. Scenario 2: All of the above + building out the north wall (near football field) and expanding to allow for a symmetrical arena look.  In this scenario I would not want the seating on the south wall to extend as high as it does.  It's my opinion it needs to be about 2/3 as tall as it presently is.

I think there are things that can be done for under $10,000,000, but the long list of things people on here want (myself included) would put us over that mark.

Here's one example from Richmond: https://richmondbizsense.com/2013/08/13/ur-arena-loses-seats-but-adds-some-swank/
$17,000,000 back in 2013. Maybe a bit larger in scale, but similar, but also in 2013 dollars. So I'd say a good estimate.

I do think the ARC has a good footprint to get 80% of the way there without a major overhaul (i.e. expanding north wall). The space where the Racquetball courts are could be used in a renovation and if the seats become permanent, all the space underneath them could be used for bathrooms, wider aisle, concessions, etc. Once you start tearing down the North wall it's a whole new conversation for costs. Ideally that would be in the cards but I'm not hopeful. And we need to remember, most of these changes will eliminate use of the ARC for inter-murals and other activities, so a field house also needs to be paid for.

[usc4valpo]

The resolution, in typical Valpo fashion, will be to take a action way after when they should. Build or renovate something we can be proud of and stay ahead!  Can we get some level of sponsorship to support this effort, as this is done at other facilities?

Valpo basketball has done a lot to enhance this university in many ways - it is time to give back.

[VULB#62]

Valpo is fundraising $250m, quit showing so much frugality and make a move.if you want to be in the Valley, prove it.

We are already in the MVC so that carrot dangling out front of the VU administration to "upgrade the ARC before the invite" has been taken out of the equation.  IMO that was a significant carrot and I hope it doesn't diminish the desire to upgrade mid-term.  I'd hope to see other things accomplished for the general student population first but if they desire this upgrade to happen and have a significant donor for it then, heck, why not. Does anyone have concrete examples from our peer-Universities on what an upgrade looks like financially?  Are we talking . . . A) $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 B) $5,000,001 to $7,000,000 C) $7,000,001 to $10,000,000 D) over $10,000,000 Scenario 1:  Includes A/C, permanent seating, sound system, numerous video screens, upgrade to training room, upgrade to weight room, reposition concessions, enhanced lighting. Scenario 2: All of the above + building out the north wall (near football field) and expanding to allow for a symmetrical arena look.  In this scenario I would not want the seating on the south wall to extend as high as it does.  It's my opinion it needs to be about 2/3 as tall as it presently is.

I think there are things that can be done for under $10,000,000, but the long list of things people on here want (myself included) would put us over that mark.

Here's one example from Richmond: https://richmondbizsense.com/2013/08/13/ur-arena-loses-seats-but-adds-some-swank/
$17,000,000 back in 2013. Maybe a bit larger in scale, but similar, but also in 2013 dollars. So I'd say a good estimate.

I do think the ARC has a good footprint to get 80% of the way there without a major overhaul (i.e. expanding north wall). The space where the Racquetball courts are could be used in a renovation and if the seats become permanent, all the space underneath them could be used for bathrooms, wider aisle, concessions, etc. Once you start tearing down the North wall it's a whole new conversation for costs. Ideally that would be in the cards but I'm not hopeful. And we need to remember, most of these changes will eliminate use of the ARC for inter-murals and other activities, so a field house also needs to be paid for.

That last comment in bold says it all.  Without the planned field house or rec building or whatever they want to call it, the arena cannot possibly be renovated to a permanent arena. Valpo is never going to throw $20-30 million at that ever. It is the "other activities" that will suffer most (along with, of course, intramurals) if the seating on the main floor is made permanent. Those other activities, btw, are all other outdoor varsity sports that require gym time in the winter months. That includes football, soccer, baseball, softball and T&F. They are already scheduling off-season practices in the ARC at 5am and 6am as well as late at night to get floor time for drills and conditioning. We complain about the non-revenue sports not showing well in the MVC now. Reducing the usable footprint of the main floor to the size of a basketball court is certain to reduce  their competitiveness even further.

MLB has said that a feasibility study is in the works. While all of our wishful thinking and ideas are fun, it'll be that study that determines to what degree, in what fashion and what timetable anything will be done. I am not holding my breath for anything beyond bare necessities (Sound, AC, and maybe video boards) at this time. Anything else would require in-depth planning and significant construction expense.

[usc4valpo]

I am very concerned about Valpo's cash flow and how we can compete in the MVC in basketball as well as other sports.

[FieldGoodie05]

Valpo is fundraising $250m, quit showing so much frugality and make a move.if you want to be in the Valley, prove it.

We are already in the MVC so that carrot dangling out front of the VU administration to "upgrade the ARC before the invite" has been taken out of the equation.  IMO that was a significant carrot and I hope it doesn't diminish the desire to upgrade mid-term.  I'd hope to see other things accomplished for the general student population first but if they desire this upgrade to happen and have a significant donor for it then, heck, why not. Does anyone have concrete examples from our peer-Universities on what an upgrade looks like financially?  Are we talking . . . A) $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 B) $5,000,001 to $7,000,000 C) $7,000,001 to $10,000,000 D) over $10,000,000 Scenario 1:  Includes A/C, permanent seating, sound system, numerous video screens, upgrade to training room, upgrade to weight room, reposition concessions, enhanced lighting. Scenario 2: All of the above + building out the north wall (near football field) and expanding to allow for a symmetrical arena look.  In this scenario I would not want the seating on the south wall to extend as high as it does.  It's my opinion it needs to be about 2/3 as tall as it presently is.

I think there are things that can be done for under $10,000,000, but the long list of things people on here want (myself included) would put us over that mark.

Here's one example from Richmond: https://richmondbizsense.com/2013/08/13/ur-arena-loses-seats-but-adds-some-swank/
$17,000,000 back in 2013. Maybe a bit larger in scale, but similar, but also in 2013 dollars. So I'd say a good estimate.

I do think the ARC has a good footprint to get 80% of the way there without a major overhaul (i.e. expanding north wall). The space where the Racquetball courts are could be used in a renovation and if the seats become permanent, all the space underneath them could be used for bathrooms, wider aisle, concessions, etc. Once you start tearing down the North wall it's a whole new conversation for costs. Ideally that would be in the cards but I'm not hopeful. And we need to remember, most of these changes will eliminate use of the ARC for inter-murals and other activities, so a field house also needs to be paid for.

That last comment in bold says it all.  Without the planned field house or rec building or whatever they want to call it, the arena cannot possibly be renovated to a permanent arena. Valpo is never going to throw $20-30 million at that ever. It is the "other activities" that will suffer most (along with, of course, intramurals) if the seating on the main floor is made permanent. Those other activities, btw, are all other outdoor varsity sports that require gym time in the winter months. That includes football, soccer, baseball, softball and T&F. They are already scheduling off-season practices in the ARC at 5am and 6am as well as late at night to get floor time for drills and conditioning. We complain about the non-revenue sports not showing well in the MVC now. Reducing the usable footprint of the main floor to the size of a basketball court is certain to reduce  their competitiveness even further.

MLB has said that a feasibility study is in the works. While all of our wishful thinking and ideas are fun, it'll be that study that determines to what degree, in what fashion and what timetable anything will be done. I am not holding my breath for anything beyond bare necessities (Sound, AC, and maybe video boards) at this time. Anything else would require in-depth planning and significant construction expense.

That's why I am not so keen on this renovation before other key items (included is a student rec center and A/C in all dorms if not already done).  After all, this is a University with 3,500+ other students unrelated to Valpo Mens Basketball.  I have the same desire to see this team succeed in the new conference but not at the expense of a functioning budget and practice space of other VU athletics programs.  I posted that original email because it is clear that minor/major renovation is being actively discussed and my little vote isn't going to change things.

Either way, student activities for the cold months (which happens to be much or most of the year in the midwest while school is in session) is far more important than some ARC upgrade to me.

P.S.  If they make the arena permanent seating, I'm guessing they also get rid of the indoor track and side gym up there (which is where the track team practices for indoor season).  So I am also not a fan of that decision, being a former T&F athlete at VU.  I hope people far more creative than us are able to find a proper balance if indeed something is being done as some suspect.

[NativeCheesehead]

Appreciate the sentiment, FG, but it was my impression the massive construction binge over the past decade or so was to benefit the other 3,500 students.

[FieldGoodie05]

Appreciate the sentiment, FG, but it was my impression the massive construction binge over the past decade or so was to benefit the other 3,500 students.

Undoubtedly it was.  Sadly though I think Harre "may" have waisted the 1990s and early 2000s not doing any of the upgrades so we are behind the 8-ball in that regard.  There is certainly a balance to be struck and I respect your sentiment.

[VALPO LI]

Drake University receives $2 Million dollar donation to upgrade Knapp Center and $1 Million for the men's Basketball program.

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/college/drake/2019/10/22/drake-university-donation-improve-knapp-center-help-rural-americans/4061716002/

"We will renovate the Knapp Center we will enhance the fan experience we will improve our home court advantage"

Possible renovations would be to replace current seating with more intimate bowl shaped arena seating, creating hospitality spaces and improving the sound system.

[VUGrad1314]

Illinois State is upgrading too...

http://mvcfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5411

Get busy Valpo....

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/valpo_hoops/status/1193965752287715328?s=21
https://twitter.com/joshkleinrules/status/1193604398670319617?s=21

One could say that The University has acted in good faith but it's time for the city to return a favor. Allow parking on the streets again or be very friendly to the university when it comes to zoning or contribute $ to resolve the problem.

The ARC was there before most (if not all) people moved into those houses...

[wh]

I was listening to the radio broadcast of the Illinois at Grand Canyon game in the car the other night. GCU has a deafening extended pregame extravaganza that works the fans into a frenzy, the likes of which the IL broadcasters said they had never seen before. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVYDSnBMQoo

The IL guys said it was the  best pregame atmosphere they had ever seen.  Complete with a live rock band. Goes to show what can be created when people think outside the box.   

[VALPO LI]

That is ridiculously amazing!!!!!
And only 7,500 people!

[cornonthe]

I was listening to the radio broadcast of the Illinois at Grand Canyon game in the car the other night. GCU has a deafening extended pregame extravaganza that works the fans into a frenzy, the likes of which the IL broadcasters said they had never seen before. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVYDSnBMQoo

The IL guys said it was the  best pregame atmosphere they had ever seen.  Complete with a live rock band. Goes to show what can be created when people think outside the box.   

Been there for two games and a show and the atmosphere was top notch!!!

[valpotx]

Much younger crowd than we get

[jsher3141]

Much younger crowd than we get

Those are almost all students.  If you look up their seating chart, one whole sideline and basically both baselines a good 25 rows up are completely reserved for student seating. 

[VULB#62]

Another MVC school is upgrading its facilities and it is a private institution -- DRAKE.  The've already committed to upgrading their BB arena, and now they are adding a new stadium to their facilities portfolio.  Drake is working in conjunction with the City of Des Moines to build a 4,000 seat multi-purpose outdoor sports stadium on the Drake campus next to their BB practice facility.  It will be the new home of Drake soccer and the home of Des Moines Public Schools football.

The key element of this project, in my mind, is something that would be invaluable to Valpo given the stress placed on the ARC for useable time for all sports teams as well as student usage.  The new Drake/CDM facility would be built to allow for a bubble to be erected during the winter months to allow for year-round usage. 

Climbing back onto my well-worn soapbox, Valpo is nowhere near building that dreamed about Rec Center/Fieldhouse that appears in the 30-year Master Plan.  That's decades away if at all.  In the meantime, the ARC needs desperately to be upgraded.  But it can't be done "supposedly" until an alternate facility is built (see above) and so Valpo has placed itself in a Catch-22 situation.  This is one way out of that conundrum. USC4Valpo probably has even more insight into this.

Here is the link to the article that describes it:

https://news.drake.edu/2019/11/13/dmps-drake-partner-to-develop-new-community-stadium/

Here (hopefully) is the YouTube video showing what it will look like:

<iframe width="875" height="492" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AcmfVKHMyL8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[vu84v2]

Another MVC school is upgrading its facilities and it is a private institution -- DRAKE.  The've already committed to upgrading their BB arena, and now they are adding a new stadium to their facilities portfolio.  Drake is working in conjunction with the City of Des Moines to build a 4,000 seat multi-purpose outdoor sports stadium on the Drake campus next to their BB practice facility.  It will be the new home of Drake soccer and the home of Des Moines Public Schools football.

The key element of this project, in my mind, is something that would be invaluable to Valpo given the stress placed on the ARC for useable time for all sports teams as well as student usage.  The new Drake/CDM facility would be built to allow for a bubble to be erected during the winter months to allow for year-round usage. 

Climbing back onto my well-worn soapbox, Valpo is nowhere near building that dreamed about Rec Center/Fieldhouse that appears in the 30-year Master Plan.  That's decades away if at all.  In the meantime, the ARC needs desperately to be upgraded.  But it can't be done "supposedly" until an alternate facility is built (see above) and so Valpo has placed itself in a Catch-22 situation.  This is one way out of that conundrum. USC4Valpo probably has even more insight into this.

Here is the link to the article that describes it:

https://news.drake.edu/2019/11/13/dmps-drake-partner-to-develop-new-community-stadium/

Here (hopefully) is the YouTube video showing what it will look like:

Ideas like this are, at a minimum, innovative and can lead to great solutions...but I would caution that there is a lot of compromise required when partnering with another group who would use the stadium.

Consider three questions in relationship to doing this at Valpo:
1. If you are Valpo, what percentage of time would you be willing to give to the municipal entity for use of the venue? If not 50% (and that includes 50% of prime time), I would see it being questionable that the municipality would agree - which makes this very questionable for indoor usage, when Valoo has many athletic team and student activities that will want access.
2. If you are the town, are you going to agree to having the facility on the university campus?
3. If you are a taxpayer, are you gong to be willing to fund something that would have significant use by the university.

Don't get me wrong, ideas like this are needed. But from looking at the Des Moines proposal, I am not even sure that this will actually happen in Des Moines (see reason 3).

[VULB#62]

BTW, I share to some extent the concern over partnering with the city. I think I've heard of previous attempts at that sort of thing (a joint natatorium, maybe) and they didn't come to fruition. I posted the links and the idea more to support just VU building a less-than- Fieldhouse  solution along the same architectural lines (not the same capacity — maybe 1,000-1,500 seats) and all-seasons approach to allow for the needed ARC upgrade.

[FWalum]

BTW, I share to some extent the concern over partnering with the city. I think I've heard of previous attempts at that sort of thing (a joint natatorium, maybe) and they didn't come to fruition. I posted the links and the idea more to support just VU building a less-than- Fieldhouse  solution along the same architectural lines not the same capacity — maybe 1,000-1,500 seats) and all-seasons approach to allow for the needed ARC upgrade.

It has probably been 18 months ago, but I was told that this Aquatic Center project was something that the University would be able to use.  Did this not happen?  Has this been built?

https://www.valpo.k12.in.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1644405&type=d&pREC_ID=1786738

Valparaiso Aquatic Center is committed to enriching Valparaiso Community Schools and our local community by providing unparalleled and inclusive educational, recreational, and fitness programs, services, and facilities to promote physical, social, and emotional health and wellness through exposure and opportunity.

[valpospartan]

I was listening to the radio broadcast of the Illinois at Grand Canyon game in the car the other night. GCU has a deafening extended pregame extravaganza that works the fans into a frenzy, the likes of which the IL broadcasters said they had never seen before. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVYDSnBMQoo

The IL guys said it was the  best pregame atmosphere they had ever seen.  Complete with a live rock band. Goes to show what can be created when people think outside the box.   

You need a student section to start with.  We don't get that many in three games total.
20,000 enrollment helps.

[VU2014]

I can't say I disagree. I want to focus less on the mascot thing and more of the Duquesne Arena remodel. It's Dimensionally is very similar to the ARC.

Possibly a blue print but as always. Who is going to pay for the renovation is the issue.

https://twitter.com/yinzerstillinoh/status/1355567796684529666?s=21

[vufan75]

Drake announced today renovation fundraising and plans to upgrade the Knapp Center. Hope President Padilla
and the BOD noticed, and can convince some wealthy Valpo alums to donate to an ARC reno sooner rather than later. I know we have other needs as well...but Valpo Athletics is able to create valuable name recognition among other things for the university.
#GoValpo #MVC

https://godrakebulldogs.com/news/2021/10/18/drake-athletics-schickler-challenge-jumpstarts-knapp-center-renovation-project-fundraising.aspx

Figure it was time for a facilities post. It's been awhile since we had one. [emoji3]

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