Indoor facility

[AFCAT]

[catatac]

More than recruiting, it helps with preparation and being able to practice and be effective in freezing cold weather or late playoff runs. That is where it will help them most. Hope we follow sooner than later.

This.
To me the recruiting aspect of an IPF is minimal.
It’s the obvious benefits that are the biggest. Having a place to go for spring practices and late season playoff runs is huge.

We need one, and I really hope we’re not too far off to having one done right.

I’m not putting UM’s down because it looks pretty solid for being a bubble and it’s more than we have right now, but if we do what we plan in the coming few years, it won’t be in the same conversation.

From what I understand, the bubble is temporary and just phase 1 of a permanent IPF. The surface will be permanent, and eventually the bubble will be replaced and a permanent facility will be built.

Its the route NDSU went, Bubble over the old DII outdoor field, now the new $50 Million IPF is being built, great to have something inside for Golf, Track, Soccer, Baseball, Ect and Football. The benefits of "just a bubble" can sell donors on donating more for the full building!

Geez... that is incredible, good for NDSU and the Bizons. Talk about the rich getting richer. Like they needed yet another thing to further increase the gap between them and the rest of the FCS.

[BlueNGoldTilIDie]

Ive held my tongue for a while on this but not sure who else has heard this, We had the funding all set for the IPF and it was from a big donor that was giving it to the football and the track teams. Love Leon but he actually blew this and said the BAC was priority number 1, when the donor said they wanted the IPF to be started before the BAC. Funding was complete for both the BAC and the IPF but since our AD said the BAC needs to be started first the donor backed out and now wont put forth the same money as their only wish was that the IPF be started before the BAC. The funding was done and enough to have both done at the same time. A true missed opportunity and now here we are still without an IPF. Take it for what it is but heard this from 4 different conversations from 4 different people all very well tied into the the athletic department.

[wbtfg]

Ive held my tongue for a while on this but not sure who else has heard this, We had the funding all set for the IPF and it was from a big donor that was giving it to the football and the track teams. Love Leon but he actually blew this and said the BAC was priority number 1, when the donor said they wanted the IPF to be started before the BAC. Funding was complete for both the BAC and the IPF but since our AD said the BAC needs to be started first the donor backed out and now wont put forth the same money as their only wish was that the IPF be started before the BAC. The funding was done and enough to have both done at the same time. A true missed opportunity and now here we are still without an IPF. Take it for what it is but heard this from 4 different conversations from 4 different people all very well tied into the the athletic department.

Why do you think completing the BAC first was such a deal breaker for that specific donor?

Also, with such a large gift, I'd imagine that Leon, Waded, and the Foundation were all involved in the process.

[AFCAT]

Ive held my tongue for a while on this but not sure who else has heard this, We had the funding all set for the IPF and it was from a big donor that was giving it to the football and the track teams. Love Leon but he actually blew this and said the BAC was priority number 1, when the donor said they wanted the IPF to be started before the BAC. Funding was complete for both the BAC and the IPF but since our AD said the BAC needs to be started first the donor backed out and now wont put forth the same money as their only wish was that the IPF be started before the BAC. The funding was done and enough to have both done at the same time. A true missed opportunity and now here we are still without an IPF. Take it for what it is but heard this from 4 different conversations from 4 different people all very well tied into the the athletic department.

I have my doubts this is true. I'd be surprised if Leon couldn't work two big construction projects simultaneously. Has to be more to the story.

That goes against what Leon has talked about in the past.

[kmax]

Imagine having enough money to be a primary funder of a major project but you won't anymore because other priorities made it so your project couldn't be "first." As AFCAT said, feel like there would have to be more to the story that just this (on both sides).

[kennethnoisewater]

Imagine having enough money to be a primary funder of a major project but you won't anymore because other priorities made it so your project couldn't be "first." As AFCAT said, feel like there would have to be more to the story that just this (on both sides).

Yes, always more to the story. But with gifts like these, sometimes these big donors want to control everything. Sometimes it's not hard to piss off a huge ego and make them do something drastic because they didn't get their way. Having been a fundraiser I've seen things like this happen, but usually they come around if they were ever truly passionate about the project. Let's hope, if true, this can be finessed. We've joked for years on here about the "silent phase" of projects, but we're basically always in a silent phase. The general model is basically to announce a project after 60-70% of the money is already secured, THEN you start your "official" silent phase. You basically make it the worst kept secret in town so you can get some more intermediate donors on board. Then when you're almost to the finish line (see the university of missoula project) you open it up to everybody.

Obviously not every project operates this way (see the BAC), but I'd be very surprised if there wasn't some fairly significant money already secured (pledged) for the project. I'd imagine there have been plenty of big asks ever since they knew the BAC was fully funded.

[kmax]

Imagine having enough money to be a primary funder of a major project but you won't anymore because other priorities made it so your project couldn't be "first." As AFCAT said, feel like there would have to be more to the story that just this (on both sides).

Yes, always more to the story. But with gifts like these, sometimes these big donors want to control everything. Sometimes it's not hard to piss off a huge ego and make them do something drastic because they didn't get their way. Having been a fundraiser I've seen things like this happen, but usually they come around if they were ever truly passionate about the project. Let's hope, if true, this can be finessed. We've joked for years on here about the "silent phase" of projects, but we're basically always in a silent phase. The general model is basically to announce a project after 60-70% of the money is already secured, THEN you start your "official" silent phase. You basically make it the worst kept secret in town so you can get some more intermediate donors on board. Then when you're almost to the finish line (see the university of missoula project) you open it up to everybody.

Obviously not every project operates this way (see the BAC), but I'd be very surprised if there wasn't some fairly significant money already secured (pledged) for the project. I'd imagine there have been plenty of big asks ever since they knew the BAC was fully funded.

Oh I completely agree. Maybe my first sentence came off a bit wrong. It was kind of in the vein of "imagine" as in that seems unrealistic but as you pointed out I do know that with big money can (but doesn't have to) come with big ego so it is possible. But really what I meant there was more on the side of wouldn't it be cool to have enough money that you could actually have that type of ego about projects you wanted to fund.

[kennethnoisewater]

Imagine having enough money to be a primary funder of a major project but you won't anymore because other priorities made it so your project couldn't be "first." As AFCAT said, feel like there would have to be more to the story that just this (on both sides).

Yes, always more to the story. But with gifts like these, sometimes these big donors want to control everything. Sometimes it's not hard to piss off a huge ego and make them do something drastic because they didn't get their way. Having been a fundraiser I've seen things like this happen, but usually they come around if they were ever truly passionate about the project. Let's hope, if true, this can be finessed. We've joked for years on here about the "silent phase" of projects, but we're basically always in a silent phase. The general model is basically to announce a project after 60-70% of the money is already secured, THEN you start your "official" silent phase. You basically make it the worst kept secret in town so you can get some more intermediate donors on board. Then when you're almost to the finish line (see the university of missoula project) you open it up to everybody.

Obviously not every project operates this way (see the BAC), but I'd be very surprised if there wasn't some fairly significant money already secured (pledged) for the project. I'd imagine there have been plenty of big asks ever since they knew the BAC was fully funded.

Oh I completely agree. Maybe my first sentence came off a bit wrong. It was kind of in the vein of "imagine" as in that seems unrealistic but as you pointed out I do know that with big money can (but doesn't have to) come with big ego so it is possible. But really what I meant there was more on the side of wouldn't it be cool to have enough money that you could actually have that type of ego about projects you wanted to fund.

Totally agree, and didn't mean to come off as argumentative. Just a possible explanation for what could've gone down.

[BlueNGoldTilIDie]

Imagine having enough money to be a primary funder of a major project but you won't anymore because other priorities made it so your project couldn't be "first." As AFCAT said, feel like there would have to be more to the story that just this (on both sides).

The other side of the story has to do with the track team and money that they had set aside. The donor pulled out because they wanted to support the main thing the track team and then the football team second and when the athletic department wanted to do the BAC as first priority for mainly football purposes, the donor backed out and the funding was lost. Im sure there are lots of missing parts of the story and nor am I claiming that I know them all but just reiterating the same thing that I heard from 4 different people. (all within the athletic department in some form or another)

[Hawks86]

[MSU01]

Color me skeptical that MSU, having recently completed multiple major building projects funded by large private donations, turned down $20 million to build the IPF because they couldn't handle building it and the BAC at the same time. If the mystery IPF donor tried to dictate that money already donated by others for the BAC be funneled instead to the IPF along with his donation, then good for Leon for sticking with the plan and not pissing off all the folks who intended their money to go to the BAC.

[Hawks86]

Where's Paul Harvey when you need him.

[kmax]

Imagine having enough money to be a primary funder of a major project but you won't anymore because other priorities made it so your project couldn't be "first." As AFCAT said, feel like there would have to be more to the story that just this (on both sides).

The other side of the story has to do with the track team and money that they had set aside. The donor pulled out because they wanted to support the main thing the track team and then the football team second and when the athletic department wanted to do the BAC as first priority for mainly football purposes, the donor backed out and the funding was lost. Im sure there are lots of missing parts of the story and nor am I claiming that I know them all but just reiterating the same thing that I heard from 4 different people. (all within the athletic department in some form or another)

That's fair and wasn't trying to question what you had heard, just saying that it seems likely there is more to the story from both sides as to why the choices that were made were made.

As an aside, I will say that the BAC was the most visible and definitely biggest part of the most recent project. But it is only fair to call out that the project benefitted ALL of athletics in some form or another. Take a look at volleyball's new locker room: https://bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/viewt ... 40#p772045. Both BBall teams are getting locker room updates I believe or maybe already have and I missed it. Anyone who ever visited the old academic center for student athletes know how inadequate it was and how much of an upgrade setting up a new one in the old FB offices is for all student athletes. The new clinic and the testing equipment there while in the BAC is a huge benefit for all athletes. And just getting the largest team organization out of the overcrowded fieldhouse makes life there so much better for the remaining teams and athletes. Frees up weight room time, training room space and time, locker room space, and on and on. Football got the new big shiny building and toys, but this project as a whole probably had more reach in positively effecting ALL of Athletics than IPF would.

[TomCat88]

"Like, it totally doesn't matter now, man." - The Dude.

[stevo]

Bump!!

[stevo]

Not one bite?

[wbtfg]

Not one bite?

I assume the regents passed the request for funding to contract with an architect for plans?

That's a great first step....hopefully we have a functioning facility by this time next year.

[stevo]

Under "other" Item E

https://mus.edu/board/meetings/2022/nov ... index.html

wbtfg, you got it.

[coachouert]

Was just approved by BOR.