The new recreational center is under construction and is said to finish for the Fall semester across the UConn Bookstore. It is said that there will be an additional fee for the new gym. (Photo by Charlotte Lao/The Daily Campus)
Got some spare cash to burn? If so, then the ability to name the University of Connecticut Student Recreation Center can be yours—for a cool $25 million, donated to the UConn Foundation. For a slightly more affordable $1 million, you can name a 25 meter pool and for $10,000, you can name a conference room.
Over 30 spaces, from the Rec Center itself to gym areas to the juice bar, are available for naming. Donations range from $25 million for the 191,000 square foot Rec Center itself, to $10,000 for smaller areas, like assessment rooms, according to the UConn Recreation Center Naming Opportunities website. The naming prices are based on several factors, Christina Jackson, editorial director for UConn Foundation Communications, said.
“Donation levels are determined by square footage, purpose of space, and visual/usage prominence of space,” Jackson said.
The money will be used for recreational programming, Jackson said, and not the building itself, which is supported through a $500 yearly student fee. The donations will support existing programming and “new opportunities for students,” Jackson said.
Over $31 million, nearly half of the Rec Center’s total construction cost, and three times the amount the student rec center fees are slated to draw in over the next 30 years, would be needed to name all the spaces.
All “gift proposals” are reviewed and approved of by the board of trustees before they are accepted, Jackson said, with the naming suggestion attached. The name is also considered by the Institutional Advancement committee for consideration.
While building names can be petitioned for a change, generally there is a donation attached to the naming. The Peter J. Werth Tower, for example, was named after the building’s namesake donated $22.5 million to the university in late 2017.
Those interested in donating can contact Heather McDonald (hmcdonald@foundation.uconn.edu) at the UConn Foundation for further information.
CORRECTION The original version of this story reported that the new Recreation Center building would be paid for by a $1,000 yearly student fee. The fee is $500 yearly, $250 per semester.
Marlese Lessing is the news editor for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at marlese.lessing@uconn.edu. She tweets @marlese_lessing.
