University of South Dakota Department of Athletics 2015 Master Plan for Athletic Facilities University of South Dakota Department of Athletics 2015 Master Plan for Athletic Facilities Athletic Department Mission and Philosophy The University of South Dakota’s Intercollegiate Athletics Department, as an integral part of the University’s educational mission, is committed to cultivating academic and athletic excellence in student-athletes. The philosophy of the University of South Dakota athletic department is to provide the student-athlete with the opportunity and encouragement to achieve a degree of his or her choice and the chance to develop athletic abilities in an environment consistent with high standards of academic scholarship, sportsmanship, leadership and institutional loyalty. The department strives to achieve this through the following objectives: • Academic Integrity and Leadership: Dedication to the principles of academic excellence, the encouragement of degree completion, the development of the whole person and support in securing a productive place in society for all student-athletes. • Athletic Achievement: Dedication to maximum athletic performance. • Fiscal Integrity: Development and maintenance of comprehensive fiscal policies and practices to ensure control and accountability throughout the program. • Governance: Compliance with Federal, State, University, NCAA and Conference regulations. • Personal Development: Encourage all personnel and student-athletes toward personal and professional growth. • Quality Support: Dedication to providing the finest staff, facilities, services and equipment to ensure that all student-athletes have the opportunity to train and compete in a safe and supportive atmosphere. Reclassification to NCAA Division I As part of our planning and communication, the University’s athletics administration crafted a “Division I Directional Statement” and coupled it with six programmatic areas for which goals and objectives were listed. The directional statement is as follows: “In the transition to Division I, the University of South Dakota’s Intercollegiate Athletics department seeks to strengthen its strong, well-recognized commitment to the development of the complete student-athlete. Academic achievement of every individual student-athlete and each team will be emphasized, while striving to maintain highly competitive programs. Successful resource generation and strategic institutional position planning are critical components of this plan. The University and athletic program are well positioned for the challenges and opportunities of Division I membership.” Athletic Facilities The University of South Dakota recognizes the DakotaDome Renovation project is critical to continued achievement of athletic success. Although the DakotaDome has served as a very good home for the University’s football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, and women’s volleyball programs over the last 30 years, it does present several challenges in recruiting and scheduling and, ultimately, to the success of the University’s sports programs. Several institutions have had considerable success with a dome set-up, including the University of Northern Iowa and Northern Arizona University. However, the trend among Division I institutions, even reclassifying institutions, is to build and/ or renovate athletic facilities dedicated specifically for certain sports. One of the schools referenced above, Northern Iowa, in fact recently added on a basketball/ volleyball arena to their dome in recent years and it has benefited the studentathlete experience and success on the court tremendously. Within this context, the University of South Dakota has drafted an athletics facilities plan entitled “2015 Master Plan for Athletic Facilities,” which, if fully implemented, will enable the University’s athletic program to provide top-tier athletic facilities in which its student-athletes may train and compete, and to achieve its goals for regional and national athletic success, recognition and visibility. 2015 Master Plan for Athletic Facilities PHASE 1— Basketball/Volleyball Arena (connected to the DakotaDome) New ticket office New retail shop New Hall of Fame Expanded coaches and press boxes Seating capacity of 6,000 New competition court 3 practice courts New Student-Athlete Academic Center / Computer Lab Locker rooms for men’s and women’s basketball teams Locker rooms for women’s volleyball team Locker rooms for visiting teams and officials Men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball coaches offices New administrative offices New athletic training room New open ceiling weight room 14 luxury boxes/suites Media room 6 concession stands 8 restrooms 2 meeting rooms Additional storage space PHASE 3a — Outdoor Track PHASE 2 — DakotaDome Renovations New wider and more open concourses 6 new concessions stands 8 new restrooms Repair and replace pipes New playing surface Football club/plaza Expanded football locker room New/expanded equipment room Additional end-zone seating New permanent seating above current retractable bleachers on west side of the dome Increase seating capacity to 16,000 for football Loge/Suite seating that is up to current standards for revenue growth 2 KSS classrooms 6 KSS faculty offices KSS sports science lab KSS gym floor space in practice court area Add some color to the outside/roof of the dome through banners/lighting 9-lane, 400-meter track with grass infield for field events 4 long-jump pits 4 pole vault boxes Hammer and discus cage Shot-put ring 2 large restrooms (shared with Soccer) Bleachers to accommodate 1,000 spectators (shared with Soccer) Enclosed press box with video capability (shared with Soccer) Sound system Scoreboard Lights Video platform PHASE 3b — Soccer Competition Field 120' X 85' competition grass field Maintain current practice grass field 4 sets of team shelters Pair of competition goals 2 large restrooms (shared with Outdoor Track) 1,000-seat bleacher system (shared with the Outdoor Track) Enclosed press box with video capability (shared with Outdoor Track) Sound system Scoreboard Lights This document is available in alternative formats upon request. 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