AU Breaks Ground on Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance
With the thrust of 17 shiny shovels into a patch of Reeves Field and a ceremonial toss of dirt into the air on Friday, March 1, 麻豆传媒 officially broke ground on the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance before a celebratory audience of campus leaders, trustees, student-athletes, and other community members.
鈥淗istory has been made here on this campus in big and small ways,鈥 President Sylvia Burwell said 鈥淭oday, with the groundbreaking of the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance, we鈥檙e going to make history again. It鈥檚 truly gratifying to be here today to see this vision become a reality.鈥
The Meltzer Center will be the first new athletics and recreational construction on campus in more than 30 years. Once completed, the state-of-the-art building鈥攚hich builds on AU鈥檚 commitment to empowering student-athletes to succeed on the field and in the classroom鈥攚ill be the cornerstone of the Student Thriving Complex. Located in the heart of campus, the complex represents AU鈥檚 historic $109 million investment in student thriving.
The project also includes a renovation of Mary Graydon Center and the addition of the new Student Well-Being Commons. Longtime trustee Alan Meltzer, CAS/BA 鈥21, and his wife, Amy made a transformative $15 million gift to name the center as part of AU鈥檚 Change Can鈥檛 Wait campaign. Board chair emeritus and current member Jack Cassell, SOC/BA 鈥77, Denise Cassell, and the Bender Foundation, Inc. also made foundational lead gifts to the Meltzer Center.
In addition to boasting competition space and practice and training facilities for AU鈥檚 teams and helping Eagles engage and build community, the Meltzer Center will also achieve two significant sustainability milestones:
- The facility will be the university鈥檚 first net-zero building鈥攁nd the first of its kind at any university across DC and the Mid-Atlantic region. The building will generate energy onsite through renewable resources that are equal to or greater than the total energy consumed by its operation.
- The building will be AU鈥檚 first to be LEED-Platinum certified, which represents the highest possible rating for a new build on the world鈥檚 most widely used green building rating system. That designation certifies the building checks off 80 or more points related to sustainability through environmentally conscious design on factors like sensitive land protection, water efficiency, and innovation.
Joining together support for students and furthering the university鈥檚 commitment to achieving a small environmental footprint, the Meltzer Center exemplifies the evolution of AU鈥檚 campus experience.
鈥淭his project represents AU鈥檚 values and furthers our commitment to offering our students enhanced facilities that provide resources and space to develop and sharpen lifelong skills,鈥 said Bront茅 Burleigh-Jones, Kogod/BS 鈥91, MBA 鈥93, AU鈥檚 CFO, vice president, and treasurer.