A distinguished university needs to have world-class facilities that reflect the caliber of its students. It must have academic facilities with cutting-edge capabilities and residential and recreational facilities that allow for a dynamic living and learning environment.
Cheel Campus Center & Arena
Nearly 30 years after it opened as “Clarkson’s front door” to the world, the Cheel Campus Center and Arena is undergoing a major overhaul that will modernize the building’s infrastructure and expand its footprint to add more state-of-the-art features to enhance programmatic offerings, hockey facilities and student life at Clarkson while also providing further economic benefits to the surrounding community. Success has always been the cornerstone of Clarkson Hockey. From the early years of the twentieth century, when the Golden Knights skated on the frozen Raquette River, to the present, Clarkson has established a legacy of excellence that symbolizes proud tradition. With the significant changes taking place in the college hockey landscape, especially at the NCAA Division I level, our campaign must continue to succeed in order to ensure Men’s and Women’s Hockey at Clarkson University competes with national powers like Boston College, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota. Not only will this provide the Golden Knights with a newly refurbished home, but it will also afford them new opportunities to continue their winning ways.
Walker Arena
Walker Arena is a storied athletic facility at Clarkson, morphing from the first-ever hockey arena in 1938 to an athletic complex in 2008, housing all four soccer and lacrosse teams. The transformation resulted in a refreshed façade and updated outdoor spaces, including a new turf field, but the indoor spaces were left tired and dated. With athletic facilities have emerged as an increasingly important choice driver for prospective student-athletes, it is critical that we update these spaces as we compete to deliver a high-quality student-athlete experience.
As a testament to how much the soccer and lacrosse programs mean to Clarkson University, it is committed to restoring much of Walker’s inside space. The project will expand and update the current locker room while also building an additional locker room; both of which will include new locker/stalls for each student-athlete that will provide them with the space, comfort and functionality they need. Additionally, the laundry facility and equipment storage room will relocate within the complex, get a face-lift, and allow for the renovation and expansion of the current training room; all of which will ultimately assist in recruiting top talent and improving player development.
ERC/Innovation Hub Atrium
Completing the transformation of the Andrew S. Schuler Educational Resource Center (ERC) into a world-class Innovation Hub will provide the physical space for the most comprehensive curricular undertaking in Clarkson’s history. Every student will be challenged to develop the mindset, skillset and experience base to be an innovator and creative leader for the 21st century economy.
A grant of $750,000 from New York State’s Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program (HECap), along with individual donor support, will fund the final phase of this project which includes renovations to, and equipping and furnishing of, our two-story atrium. The HECap funding opportunity is a rare chance to leverage support for the project for NYS and we need the help of donors to maximize the potential of this grant.