Grizz stepping it up

[EWU98]

http://www.championshipsubdivision.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=41611" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Well this will definitely help in their recruiting.

So what are we talking about 28mill here?

"new generation of Washingtons, Dennis and Phyllis's sons Kyle and Kevin, on behalf of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, has gifted $7 million to the University of Montana's Department of Athletics to be used for the $14 million Washington-Grizzly Champions Center.

It is the largest gift to the Department of Athletics in its history.

The remaining $7 million will come from private sources. The project is pending approval by the Montana University System Board of Regents."

Man not gonna lie . . a little jealous.

 

[clawman1]

Very nice addition to their facilities. Commendable of the Washington family to continue to give back to their community.
I was kind of set back by the comments of their "fans"

 

[marceagfan5]

Alumni with Deep Pockets and willing to give, must be nice....

The one thing a lot of teams in the Big Sky had over the Griz, including EWU, was weight rooms, locker rooms, and other misc. facilities. That advantage is now gone...

 

[LDopaPDX]

Another alarm bell signaling the need for upgrades in Cheney.... Of course, the AD can laugh at my suggestion since it's only tied to a four figure donation. It's tough to compete without people writing 7 figure donations.

However, the one big advantage we have over UM is that we are in Cheney and they are in Missoula. Those unshowered militia boys can call us a meth town all they want, but selling Cheney is a lot easier than selling Missoula. People of color don't stick out like a sore thumb in Cheney, cops don't pull people over for not being white enough, and the players can have their parents drive over to games.

 

[marceagfan5]

Pretty sure Montana State has another addition/upgrade in the works as well. We are going to get left behind if something doesn't happen soon...

 

[Ryan31088]

Hopefully Chaves can use this as leverage on the Gateway's prospective donors.

 

[marceagfan5]

Another alarm bell signaling the need for upgrades in Cheney.... Of course, the AD can laugh at my suggestion since it's only tied to a four figure donation. It's tough to compete without people writing 7 figure donations.

However, the one big advantage we have over UM is that we are in Cheney and they are in Missoula. Those unshowered militia boys can call us a meth town all they want, but selling Cheney is a lot easier than selling Missoula. People of color don't stick out like a sore thumb in Cheney, cops don't pull people over for not being white enough, and the players can have their parents drive over to games.

I think the EWU admin has done a commendable job at trying to get this done. It all comes down to the donors now and how wants to give money. If we don't have a couple big fish bite, nothing will happen.

Cheney can offer the proximity to Spokane. Missoula is in God's country, but the town itself is somewhat a disaster....

 

[MLEagle]

http://www.ktvq.com/news/7m-gift-launches-washington-grizzly-champions-center/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It looks like a $7 million dollar donation is starting things off for the Griz.

 

[LDopaPDX]

Hopefully Chaves can use this as leverage on the Gateway's prospective donors.

Probably not... I mean, if I'm a prospective donor in the $5mm range, whatever is going on in Montana is of little consequence to whether or not I'm writing a giant check.

 

[Eagledawg]

If you're impatient just think how B.B. feels. I wonder how long he will hang around waiting for it to happen?

 

[Ryan31088]

Hopefully Chaves can use this as leverage on the Gateway's prospective donors.

Probably not... I mean, if I'm a prospective donor in the $5mm range, whatever is going on in Montana is of little consequence to whether or not I'm writing a giant check.

Yes and no. Someone in the $5M range will obviously have some different priorities, but how many of that level donor could we possibly have? However, for middle class donors who are on the fence about making a contribution, especially those with a great sense of Eagle pride, this advantage for Montana could be that final push.

 

[LDopaPDX]

Hopefully Chaves can use this as leverage on the Gateway's prospective donors.

Probably not... I mean, if I'm a prospective donor in the $5mm range, whatever is going on in Montana is of little consequence to whether or not I'm writing a giant check.

Yes and no. Someone in the $5M range will obviously have some different priorities, but how many of that level donor could we possibly have? However, for middle class donors who are on the fence about making a contribution, especially those with a great sense of Eagle pride, this advantage for Montana could be that final push.

Middle class donors--- the type in that $250 - $2500 range annually--- are perfect for the EAF, but not for this kind of project. You need to find the big donors to make this thing happen. I heard a $20mm figure to get the project off the ground as-is, but don't know how accurate it is.

Personally, I'm still a fan of stripping the project down to the true essentials--- get rid of the superfluous items and add a great new grandstand with 7,000 seats or so-- and find a way to fund the smaller entity.

 

[Ryan31088]

PDX, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. I'll have to agree to disagree though in that I think he will use this to his advantage in some capacity.

 

[sammamisheag]

Don't forget to donate to the academic side as well. EWU needs to produce higher paying graduates (i.e.) engineering and other science-based programs. This is where Mont & MSU laps EWU when it comes to funding. Higher paying alums at EWU will allow EAF to close the gap with the Montana schools regarding facilities. Better facilities, better recruiting.

If you're a senior in high school with good grades, and you like all three football programs, where do you go?

In 2005 EWU opened their engineering program. Montana State has had engineering since 1898. Montana has solid law and business schools.

As alums we need to continue to help fund both the academic and athletic departments. We have a unique opportunity to set the stage for the next 10-15 years so we can't let this slip by.

 

[Rjones61]

Don't forget to donate to the academic side as well. EWU needs to produce higher paying graduates (i.e.) engineering and other science-based programs. This is where Mont & MSU laps EWU when it comes to funding. Higher paying alums at EWU will allow EAF to close the gap with the Montana schools regarding facilities. Better facilities, better recruiting.

If you're a senior in high school with good grades, and you like all three football programs, where do you go?

In 2005 EWU opened their engineering program. Montana State has had engineering since 1898. Montana has solid law and business schools.

As alums we need to continue to help fund both the academic and athletic departments. We have a unique opportunity to set the stage for the next 10-15 years so we can't let this slip by.

 

[tomq04]

I'll bite,

by funding "academics" you do of course mean funding "the ever increasing administration budget"

 

[clawman1]

Another alarm bell signaling the need for upgrades in Cheney.... Of course, the AD can laugh at my suggestion since it's only tied to a four figure donation. It's tough to compete without people writing 7 figure donations.

However, the one big advantage we have over UM is that we are in Cheney and they are in Missoula. Those unshowered militia boys can call us a meth town all they want, but selling Cheney is a lot easier than selling Missoula. People of color don't stick out like a sore thumb in Cheney, cops don't pull people over for not being white enough, and the players can have their parents drive over to games.

I think the EWU admin has done a commendable job at trying to get this done. It all comes down to the donors now and how wants to give money. If we don't have a couple big fish bite, nothing will happen.

Cheney can offer the proximity to Spokane. Missoula is in God's country, but the town itself is somewhat a disaster....

If you want a serious 3 month sinus headache live in the Msla valley for a winter. I did for 5 years and did not realize how bad the air is in the winter until I moved to Spokane. It is Gods country if you don't care what kind of living you make. Pine cone soup gets old.

 

[HannahO]

Don't forget to donate to the academic side as well. EWU needs to produce higher paying graduates (i.e.) engineering and other science-based programs. This is where Mont & MSU laps EWU when it comes to funding. Higher paying alums at EWU will allow EAF to close the gap with the Montana schools regarding facilities. Better facilities, better recruiting.

If you're a senior in high school with good grades, and you like all three football programs, where do you go?

In 2005 EWU opened their engineering program. Montana State has had engineering since 1898. Montana has solid law and business schools.

As alums we need to continue to help fund both the academic and athletic departments. We have a unique opportunity to set the stage for the next 10-15 years so we can't let this slip by.

Apples and oranges... UM and MSU are the state of Montana's universities (akin to UW and WSU in Washington) and get their state's resources and attract their students accordingly. They should have strong programs and history as they are the only "premier" educational institutions in the state. EWU is a regional university that has increased its standing and we should all get behind funding the academic side but the reality is that we fill a different niche in the state than the Montana schools do in theirs.

In answer to your first question, for the purpose of our fan discussion, I think the question is better framed as if you're a player with good grades and a choice of the 3 programs, where do you go? Maybe mom and dad care about the academics but the players are all about the recent success, the coaches, the facilities, and the game experience.

 

[LDopaPDX]

The academic issue is a little overrated. First off, Montana and MSU aren't exactly on par with the PAC-12 schools. And it's not like Eastern is telling kids they can't learn too much about certain topics because they didn't pay for it.

I guaran-damn-tee you no businessman has ever said, "let's hire this kid because his Montana education shows how smart he must be..."