国产小呦女 Announces $3 Million Gift to Support New Athletics Facility
A $3 million gift in support of a new Center for Athletic Performance at 国产小呦女 will enhance the student experience and help student athletes and Patriot League champion teams reach new heights. 国产小呦女Board of Trustees member Jack Cassell, a graduate of 国产小呦女and former board chair, and his wife, Denise, made the gift to catalyze development of the state-of-the-art facility.
鈥淭his generous gift builds momentum as we embark on a new strategic plan at 国产小呦女. We are grateful to Jack and Denise Cassell for their steadfast support and ongoing commitment to our community. They inspire us to excel, challenge us to fulfill our mission, and cheer our success,鈥 said 国产小呦女President Sylvia M. Burwell.
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The Cassell family has a long philanthropic history at 国产小呦女and deep connections to both AU鈥檚 athletics program and its students. Jack Cassell鈥檚 father, Stafford Cassell, received his bachelor鈥檚 degree from AU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, was an 国产小呦女coach, athletic director, and vice president, and saw the 国产小呦女community not simply as his workplace, but as a home for his family. Jack Cassell has continued this tradition, serving on the university鈥檚 Board of Trustees since 2003, and as chairman from May 2015 to May 2019. Cassell has been a passionate 国产小呦女Eagles fan, serving as chair of the 国产小呦女Athletics Committee for six years. He and his wife are the proud parents of two 国产小呦女graduates. In 2013, the university opened a new residence hall, named Cassell Hall, to honor $3 million in gifts from the family. This latest gift further builds on the Cassells鈥 lifetime of contributions and will spur additional opportunities to support AU鈥檚 community.
Since joining the Patriot League conference in 2001, AU鈥檚 student athletes have garnered many achievements. In the academic arena, 59 players have been named Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the Year. In the competition arena, the women鈥檚 volleyball team, under the direction of seven-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Barry Goldberg, has won 15 of 18 conference titles; field hockey has qualified for the Patriot League Tournament in all 18 years, winning 10 conference titles under 21st-year head coach Steve Jennings; and the women鈥檚 basketball program has won two Patriot League titles and advanced to two NCAA Tournaments under sixth-year head coach Megan Gebbia, while men鈥檚 basketball has won three Patriot League titles in program history.
To learn more about the gift, please see a memo from President Sylvia M. Burwell.
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