UNLV women's athletic programs will receive more than $3 million in gifts from four generous Las Vegas donors, according to University President Carol Harter. The announcement was made during a press conference held today (March 9) at the Thomas & Mack Center prior to UNLV's first game of the Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournament.
Donors are Donrey Media Group; James Rogers, president of Sunbelt Communications; Jerry and Sue Lykins; and the Las Vegas Founders Club. The private financial support will provide $1,850,000 of a total construction cost of $2.1 million for a new women's softball stadium and a $1 million endowment to establish a new women's golf program, as well as operating support for that program.
"This tremendous support for softball and the new women's golf team is vitally important and will help us move UNLV even closer to true equity between men's and women's athletics programs," Harter said. "These gifts are another indication of how UNLV's strong partnerships with this community are helping UNLV become a world-class teaching and research university that offers a wide variety of quality academic and athletic programs for women and men."
The Donrey Media Group, a subsidiary of the Stephens Group Inc. of Little Rock, Arkansas, is making the largest gifts for the two programs. Those donations include $1.25 million for the softball stadium and a $1 million charter gift to establish a women's golf endowment.
"Community involvement is a priority with Donrey, and we view this as an extension of that involvement," said Sally Tracey, general manager of Donrey Outdoor Advertising in Las Vegas. "For this community to grow and excel in a traditional manner, education must be at the forefront, and we are thrilled to be a part of that."
James E. Rogers and the Rogers family have also provided $500,000 in support of the construction of the softball stadium. The Rogers' family has been extremely generous to UNLV and particularly the William S. Boyd School of Law. Rogers, a prominent Las Vegas attorney, founded Valley Broadcasting Company in 1971 and has served as CEO of KVBC-TV (Channel 3) in Las Vegas since 1979. The Rogers' gifts and pledges of future support to UNLV academic and athletic programs now exceed $29 million.
"You can only create exceptional academic and athletic programs if you have the money to develop the infrastructure necessary to attract outstanding student athletes," Rogers said. "It is our pleasure to play a role and join the other financial supporters who are helping to build a women's softball stadium that we all can be proud of and that reflects this community's dedication to providing quality facilities for women and men."
The new softball stadium will be located on the northeast corner of Harmon Road and Swenson Street on the west side of the UNLV campus. The facility is being designed by KGA Architecture of Las Vegas and is expected to be completed in time for the 2001 women's softball season. The facility will be built by the UNLV Foundation, to whom these gifts are being made.
"This is a monumental event - not only for our women's programs - but for all women in intercollegiate athletics," said UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro. "This is one of the largest gifts - #4 in the country - in the history of women's athletics. It also demonstrates the advantage of cooperation between the athletic department and the UNLV Foundation."
"This new stadium has been a long time coming, and we are very thankful to these friends and supporters who are making it happen," said softball Coach Shan McDonald. "The stadium is something the current players worked hard for, and they are excited that they will have the opportunity to play there. It will also help us improve recruiting for the program by giving UNLV facilities that equal or exceed our competition."
Jerry and Sue Lykins are longtime donors to UNLV academic scholarships and athletic programs. "We have been active supporters of women's softball for many years and think very highly of coach Shan McDonald and how she has developed UNLV's program," said Jerry Lykins of Las Vegas. "We are proud to be able to help build an outstanding softball facility that will be very beneficial for the women's team and set a new standard of quality for the entire women's intercollegiate athletics program at UNLV."
The Las Vegas Founders Club will provide additional funding to the women's golf program. "The Las Vegas Founders Club is strongly committed to enhancing golf in Las Vegas with support for the PGA Tour, Junior Golf, and men's golf at UNLV," said Foundation president Chris Byrd. "The foundation plans to extend that same level of support to the new UNLV women's golf program."
