Kansas commits $40 million to academics with stadium expansion

The Chancellor of KU and Kansas Athletics has submitted to the University Board of Regents for an expansion of their football stadium. The proposal seeks to add 3,000 seats on the east side of Memorial Stadium.

On the surface, this may look like a traditional announcement to expand a stadium. However, the athletics department is pledging $40 million dollars to university academics, to be dispersed at the Chancellor’s discretion. The construction of the new seats would compliment existing seats and cost around $34 million. In total, the project would cost the Athletics Department $74 million, money to be raised from revenue generated by the sales of the seats.

This proposal is groundbreaking in its commitment to the academic side of the university. In donating more money back to the university than it would cost to construct the building, the Athletics Department is showing its resolve to mesh athletics and academics. The move also enhances the chance of the stadium expansion to be approved, as the project will benefit the entire university, not just the student-athletes.

In conclusion, this commitment could change the way athletics departments around the nation approach facility construction and expansion. By guaranteeing the entire university revenue from the project, the addition is increasingly more likely to be approved.