UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The next phase of Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics’ facilities master planning process is set to begin soon.Penn State and partner Populous have engaged Conventions, Sports & Leisure International (CSL) to create and distribute a segmentation survey to thousands of Penn State constituents. The results of this market analysis will assist Intercollegiate Athletics and Populous in formulating decisions as the facilities master planning process continues.Among the constituents who will receive the survey are selected members of the Nittany Lion Club, Alumni Association, Penn State students (athletes and non-athletes), season and single-game ticket buyers for various sports, Intercollegiate Athletics corporate partners, Bryce Jordan Center staff, and central Pennsylvania businesses.Incentives have been established for those who complete the comprehensive survey. Those who complete the survey will be included in a drawing for the following:
- Two tickets to be guests in the Nittany Lion Club suite for a 2016 game in Beaver Stadium;
- A $100 voucher to purchase official Penn State merchandise from the online store at GoPSUsports.com;
- Two tickets to be guests of Penn State Athletics in a suite for a men’s or women’s basketball game this season;
- A Nike basketball signed by Nittany Lion basketball coach Patrick Chambers;
- A Nike football signed by head football coach James Franklin;
- A Nike basketball signed by Lady Lion basketball coach Coquese Washington.
The survey will include graphics illustrating how potential facilities could look based on similar facilities at other universities, but were not designed specifically for Penn State. The master planning study will not be complete until this summer at the earliest. There will be an opportunity for those taking the survey to comment upon completion.Penn State Athletics and Populous, one of the world’s leading sports architecture and event planning firms, are collaborating on programming, developing and producing a comprehensive facilities master plan to address current and long-term needs for the Nittany Lions.“This is the largest athletic master plan, that I’m aware of, that’s been undertaken in collegiate athletics,” Scott Radecic, Populous senior principal, said during a recent visit to Penn State.
Penn State has one of the nation’s most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, with 31 varsity sports (16 men’s/15 women’s), approximately 800 student-athletes and 300 employees. Penn State Athletics also is in the midst of a wide-ranging strategic planning project to help determine strategies and priorities for the period of 2016-20 and beyond. The strategic plan and facilities master plan will serve as a roadmap for Intercollegiate Athletics over the short and long term.The master plan will address the venues that Penn State’s 31 programs practice, compete and are housed in, and the needs of its student-athletes, administration, coaches and staff. The goal is to provide Nittany Lion student-athletes with the best experience possible and the best opportunities for academic and career success and in their field of play. Additional goals are to provide Intercollegiate Athletics with a comprehensive vision for the future with a phased implementation strategy that responds to current needs, is economically viable, and flexible to adjust to the dynamic and fluctuating environment of intercollegiate athletics.The scope of work will include a 10-year horizon, as well as goals for 20 years and beyond. The master plan will include a phased and prioritized implementation strategy and corresponding conceptual level total project cost estimates. The project also will include a site plan that establishes site relationships, pedestrian and vehicular circulation, open space and landscape concept, and identify branding and business opportunities.
The Intercollegiate Athletics master plan also will be informed by and integrated into the University Park campus master plan.Penn State has nearly 20 facilities that are used for team competitions and practice and that house team locker, academic, meeting and performance enhancement rooms, in addition to Intercollegiate Athletics staff offices and meeting rooms.Penn State student-athletes have an NCAA Graduation Success Rate of 88 percent and have earned 191 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-America selections, the fourth-highest total among Division I programs. The Nittany Lions have won 75 team national championships and 95 Big Ten Conference crowns all-time, and Penn State’s 28 NCAA championships since 1992-93 are the most of any Big Ten Conference institution.