The Academic Center for Student Athletes will hold its grand opening Friday night, after $15 million and three years of planning, constructing and renovating.
ACSA officials this week postponed an open house for the newly renovated center.
Roger Grooters, ACSA director, said “last-minute construction issues” to get ready for the grand opening caused delays in the public tour of the facility. The open house was postponed indefinitely.
The 54,000 square-foot facility features a 1,000-seat auditorium with individually wired Internet connections in each seat. The auditorium, along with 14 private computer rooms and 45-station computer lab, will be open to all students.
Other features reserved for student-athletes are a 2,800 square-foot library, tutor rooms, additional computer labs and a communications studio to provide media relations training.
The facility officially is named the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes, after Cox donated $5 million to the Athletic Department for the naming rights of the center.
But Tiger Athletic Foundation was the primary fund-raising arm, securing the remaining funds, plus millions more to endow the facility.
Friday’s grand opening begins at 7 p.m. in the new facility, which is in the old Gym Armory building.