Quote:Rice University has surpassed its $1 billion goal for its Centennial Campaign, the largest fundraising effort in the private institution's history, university officials will announce Monday.

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/...php#src=fb

Great!

Wish we could have used more of that for help with athletics, but happy to see it is done.

Great news!

I'm guessing Leebron is sitting in his office like this...

(06-03-2013 08:16 AM)d1owls4life Wrote:  Great!

Wish we could have used more of that for help with athletics, but happy to see it is done.

Did I hear someone several weeks ago mention a portion of the money will be used to renovate the stadium? It sounds very unRicelike, but I thought I heard someone on this board mention that the university decided to merge the athletics fundraising into the capital campaign. What a shame it would be if none of that money were allocated for the big endzone project. I'm also curious about the plans. Are Rice officials sticking with the open endzone concept or are the plans evolving?

(06-05-2013 01:50 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Are Rice officials sticking with the open endzone concept or are the plans evolving?

Not this summer according to the summer construction
http://news.rice.edu/2013/05/20/summer-c...-underway/

They will make some slight changes to the stadium

Quote:* Improvements to Rice Stadium will include egress lighting for better visibility, repair of electrical switchgear at the north end zone and better air conditioning in the football office. These projects will take place over the summer.

Look, I think we have to face facts: nothing Greenspan has promised (from vague talk about a plan finally being put in place for Rice Athletics or an EZF) has come to fruition or advanced to anything beyond the talk/planning phase. I guess there is the possibility that there is something going on behind the scenes that we are not privy to, but that possibility has been the sole currency used by Rice fans since Greenspan arrived. I think there is a place for faith in our daily lives and believing in things that are unseen, but at a certain point, we all have to be empiricists.

(06-06-2013 10:07 AM)lyncas Wrote:  

(06-05-2013 01:50 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Are Rice officials sticking with the open endzone concept or are the plans evolving?

Not this summer according to the summer construction
http://news.rice.edu/2013/05/20/summer-c...-underway/

They will make some slight changes to the stadium

Quote:* Improvements to Rice Stadium will include egress lighting for better visibility, repair of electrical switchgear at the north end zone and better air conditioning in the football office. These projects will take place over the summer.

Translation: We're changing some light bulbs, a fuse, and putting in a small window unit.

(06-06-2013 11:09 AM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(06-06-2013 10:07 AM)lyncas Wrote:  

(06-05-2013 01:50 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Are Rice officials sticking with the open endzone concept or are the plans evolving?

Not this summer according to the summer construction
http://news.rice.edu/2013/05/20/summer-c...-underway/

They will make some slight changes to the stadium

Quote:* Improvements to Rice Stadium will include egress lighting for better visibility, repair of electrical switchgear at the north end zone and better air conditioning in the football office. These projects will take place over the summer.

Translation: We're changing some light bulbs, a fuse, and putting in a small window unit.

Thats a step up. 2 years ago, the stadium was done being powerwashed right before the LAST home game of the season.

(06-05-2013 01:50 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Did I hear someone several weeks ago mention a portion of the money will be used to renovate the stadium? It sounds very unRicelike, but I thought I heard someone on this board mention that the university decided to merge the athletics fundraising into the capital campaign. What a shame it would be if none of that money were allocated for the big endzone project. I'm also curious about the plans. Are Rice officials sticking with the open endzone concept or are the plans evolving?

My information was that now that Centennial was out of the way, they were going to work in earnest on the stadium. The +/- $50mm 3-4 story EZF will be at the north end, not the south as stage 1. Much of this is already committed and a few large gifts are likely and pending. Plans are at the architect now as I understand it. Stage 1a is about $10mm in renovations to the old girl, much of which I understand will be behind the concrete (elec and plumbing). Stage 2 is to tear down the south complex and perhaps still go with the zero egress, but not the large pavillion and no building in the current parking lot... at least not one used for coaches and lockers. Stage 3 is a new press box and perhaps sideline suites, probably where the current chairback boxes are. Personally I think this is a mistake as that is where our bigger donors already sit and we may be cannibalizing our best seats, but that may be our only option. We aren't there yet so it doesn't really matter at this point. Sitting on top of all of this, or perhaps better said... the preamble to this is a scholarship campaign in the $50-150mm range. As I understand it... this is almost a prerequisite that the Owl Club MUST make dents in this direction before much of the above will move forward.... and is probably part of the "ask" for the EZF... i.e. give $10mm and designate $7mm to the structure and $3mm to scholarships or something... just my guess. I was asked to convert an outstanding pledge to scholarships and I did.

That's what I was told. I believe the guy was being honest. It did not come (to me) from Greenspan who is in control of the agenda and that gives me pause like the rest of you. We've all seen people thrown under the information bus before.

(06-06-2013 10:46 AM)Barrett Wrote:  Look, I think we have to face facts: nothing Greenspan has promised (from vague talk about a plan finally being put in place for Rice Athletics or an EZF) has come to fruition or advanced to anything beyond the talk/planning phase. I guess there is the possibility that there is something going on behind the scenes that we are not privy to, but that possibility has been the sole currency used by Rice fans since Greenspan arrived. I think there is a place for faith in our daily lives and believing in things that are unseen, but at a certain point, we all have to be empiricists.

I don't disagree... especially in that the only thing they DID come forward with was an ill-advised detached EZF at the wrong end of the stadium. Honestly, they may now be gun shy. I believe the Tennis facility at the north end adjacent to the grass field shows that some things ARE moving forward and that the north makes more sense as a potential "sports" entrance (using Shepherd and Greenbriar as significant egress)... but I admit, I am going a lot on faith... and faith in one person who spoke to me about the plans (Mark Laney). I believe Mark believes what he told me 100%, but my concern is that as he isn't the one ultimately in control, that the plans could change and he be left on his own to explain the changes. I have lots of faith in Mark, but I'd like to hear more from his boss.

(06-06-2013 11:09 AM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  Translation: We're changing some light bulbs, a fuse, and putting in a small window unit.

You owe me a keyboard. I spit my diet coke

Good post. If anyone here ever has inside information/speculation, please let it be known. Are we talking about a north endzone facility or still the detached building? Also, does anyone know if the south end will still be brought down to ground level? I hope so. Where would the scoreboard go? Is there any reason for me to believe ground will be broken on this next year? Sounds like it may be a possibility.

North end zone... I can't remember specifics, but basically ground floor locker rooms, weights and training open to the grass field as well. Second floor meeting rooms. 3rd floor offices and 4th floor like the R room or something. I'm being way too generic in my descriptions, but I just can't remember. Whatever it is will ALL be at the north (as I understand it)

They WANT to raze the entire south end and make a mini paviliion, ground level entrance down the tunnel and a grassy hill, but that will depend on the success of fundraising... probably still with those end-zone suites... but again, depends on demand/$$. I don't think they'll sacrifice scholarships to do it, and certainly not at the expense of the north end. I have no idea what razing that end would cost, but if we assume someone would pay what it cost to raze it to name it, and we sold $25-50 brick pavers to pave it, we could probably raise a little money and get it done without too much trouble.

An endzone facility at the north end and a ground level entrance at the south end would be really nice. I hope Rice can make it happen. That sounds like a $60 mil project though. The university would have the best stadium in the conference.