The University of Central Florida continues to raise donations to help fund a massive renovation project spanning across its entire athletics department. On Monday, UCF announced they had received the largest donation in school history from UCF alum Kenneth G. Dixon, who will now have the renovated Athletics Village named in his honor.
Dixon donated more than $5 million to go toward the school’s $25 million fundraising drive, pushing the school’s donation total over $10 million. While these numbers may sound relatively small for fans of larger schools and athletic programs, the money raised so far by UCF is not to be undersold.
Among its Group of Five peers, UCF figures to be in one of the best possible situations for years to come in terms of resources with the proper leadership in place. The school is one of the largest schools among the Group of Five members, thus has access to a potentially larger alumni base to raise donations. It is also in Florida, which is a pretty solid location for attracting students.
UCF may have had some down years here and there, but the rise of the entire athletics program continues to show promise for future development. Like its fellow midmajor schools, UCF has hopes of one day attracting an invitation to a power conference. While that may day may not come any time soon, these efforts will only help to improve UCF’s standing as a university and athletics department for whenever the expansion talks do heat up once again.
Among the projects planned for the new athletic village is a brand new plaza and promenade surrounding the football stadium and multiple upgrades and renovations to buildings housing UCF’s other sports programs, including a baseball stadium expansion and facelifts for basketball and softball facilities and more.
A student-athlete recovery cove also sounds enticing, as UCF looks to provide the best place for its student-athletes to unwind and relax. An artist rendering of the final project shows off what looks like a lazy river outside the football stadium, complete with beach volleyball courts and a small putting course.
Is there a better way to relax after a football practice or game than by floating down a lazy river in a tube? No, I don’t think so.
