(08-05-2014 07:49 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  By the way, sounds like you guys at EKU are serious about jumping to FBS.
Your current stadium seats 20,000 now I believe; any idea what it will seat
after the new addition is finished?

(08-05-2014 09:45 PM)MSUBear42 Wrote:  

(08-04-2014 11:15 AM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  A visionary administration can do wonders. Good luck

There's a difference between making noise and playing the cards close to your vest.

Happy for EKU, but I'm surprised they're making as much noise, publicly, as they are.

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

What is being done was going to have to happen whether the Admin had openly discussed FBS or not. Current press box is out of date as are the "boxes".

This has only really been announced on the EKU.EDU website. Haven't seen it in the papers at this point.

It said the Dizney's made a lead gift TOWARD a $15MM facility. I don't believe the Dizney's made a $15MM gift.

Quote:EKU President Michael Benson has announced that Donald R. and Irene Dizney, of Ocala, Fla., have committed a lead cash gift toward a $15 million multi-purpose facility to replace the current grandstands on the east side of Roy Kidd Stadium.

(08-05-2014 07:48 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote:  I may be missing something, but the article indicated the $15 million donation from the Dizneys was a lead gift indicating that others are to come or already have. Also, from the last sentence in the article linked by the OP, another component of the financing is a "...$15 million agency bond approved by the state...to improve...athletic facilities".

Sounds like a pretty good start to me for a project with an estimated 2016 completion.

(08-06-2014 10:52 AM)galojah Wrote:  It said the Dizney's made a lead gift TOWARD a $15MM facility. I don't believe the Dizney's made a $15MM gift.

Quote:EKU President Michael Benson has announced that Donald R. and Irene Dizney, of Ocala, Fla., have committed a lead cash gift toward a $15 million multi-purpose facility to replace the current grandstands on the east side of Roy Kidd Stadium.

(08-05-2014 07:48 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote:  I may be missing something, but the article indicated the $15 million donation from the Dizneys was a lead gift indicating that others are to come or already have. Also, from the last sentence in the article linked by the OP, another component of the financing is a "...$15 million agency bond approved by the state...to improve...athletic facilities".

Sounds like a pretty good start to me for a project with an estimated 2016 completion.

Correct. This is just the lead gift.

It would be really great to see another FBS football program in The Great Commonwealth of Kentucky. I hope EKU can achieve their goal of making it to FBS. Put in the hard work and develop the athletic department and program enough they deserve a shot. Good for them. It would also renew the great rivaly with WKU possibly. The only negative I can see is it would be a third program in the state that UK would be looking up to.

And if you want to solidify that map..... isn't Florida Gulf Coast starting up a football team on the fast track. They'd be a good option... maybe.

Don't think the EKU Adm. is doing anything any other school would not do.
Last fall President Benson made his intentions known regarding improving athletics and athletic facilities as well as a campus facelift and academic initiatives.
He was chosen to lead for many reasons, but high on the priority list was FUND raising. He has kept his promise and is doing what he was hired to do. I don't believe he has done anything unusual in announcing renovations plans of RK Stadium that will start immediately after the end of the 2014 season. How long should they wait to announce an impending project? Dag, they have been talking for years in Lexington about renovating UK's Rupp Arena! Of course someone will always find fault in others plans to move forward.

Not every leader really leads. Sounds as if he is doing what needed to be done
and better yet talked to people, got them to agree on a plan, announced the plan
and set out to fulfill it. You do not get that a lot with school administrators
unfortunately. It is far from what any other school would do, most do not tackle
what they should do and just put it off.

(08-07-2014 08:18 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Not every leader really leads. Sounds as if he is doing what needed to be done
and better yet talked to people, got them to agree on a plan, announced the plan
and set out to fulfill it. You do not get that a lot with school administrators
unfortunately. It is far from what any other school would do, most do not tackle
what they should do and just put it off.

JMU hired a president to fund raise too.

That's gone real well....lemme tell you. Turned off more donors than Hillary speaking at a RNC event.

(08-07-2014 08:18 AM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Not every leader really leads. Sounds as if he is doing what needed to be done
and better yet talked to people, got them to agree on a plan, announced the plan
and set out to fulfill it. You do not get that a lot with school administrators
unfortunately. It is far from what any other school would do, most do not tackle
what they should do and just put it off.

You hit the nail on the head. What happened to EKU's very successful football program is a direct result of uninterested and inept presidential leadership over the past 25-30 years. And one who was President during our most successful years who was hell bent bent on taking athletics to it's knees. If not for Coach Kidd and the success we had during that time, he would have made sure we were non- scholly, because that's what he wanted (he was fired at Auburn for his anti-athletic views and EKU hired him!). He did more to destroy the university than you would think, just one examples of his lack of vision, during his tenure he did not want fax machines on campus, in a time when that was the best way of sending communication, at one point there was ONE fax machine on the entire campus! I could go on, but we are suffering from his tenure years later. That is difficult to overcome and it will take every imitative President Benson has in his arsenal to make it happen.

http://www.easternprogress.com/2014/08/2...-facility/

Update from the school newspaper. Philanthropy.com showed them providing the entire $15 mil, but still not sure that is correct.

Found the Dizney's have also donated to WKU nursing school as well as athletic facilities at Univ of Florida.