LINCOLN — If you’re trying to find a Nebraska athlete, the newly renovated space underneath the west end bleachers of Memorial Stadium might be the best place to start your search from now on.
The NU athletic department has officially opened its new $8.7 million Student Life Complex, a 50,000-square-foot facility that will serve as the academic headquarters for the school’s 23 varsity sports.
It might as well be the athletes’ second home.
A winding staircase sits at the north end of a carpeted lounging area that has the feel of an upscale hotel lobby, a place more than suitable for midday studying, napping or socializing. Offices for the department’s compliance and academic support staffs line the outer walls. There’s a new computer lab and a new dining room. A fireplace, too.
It didn’t take long to persuade sophomore linebacker Sean Fisher. He told about 150 donors on hand for the complex’s dedication ceremony Friday evening that he’s found a new hangout spot.
“If you look around, everything you need to get (work) accomplished is right here,” Fisher said. “I know I’ll spend plenty of hours in here working.”
That’s the idea, according to administrators. Nebraska wants to cater to its athletes.
NU still leads the nation with 277 Academic All-Americans and maintains a conference-best 94 percent exhausted eligibility graduation rate.
But as Athletic Director Tom Osborne noticed when he returned about three years ago, the academic facilities didn’t meet an acceptable standard. The old study center was built in 1985 to accommodate about 300 athletes. More than 600 students are playing Husker sports now, so Nebraska needed more room.
“Obviously, we had to do something,” Osborne said. “We think this will really help.”
Men’s basketball coach Doc Sadler said it already has, especially as he attempts to rebuild a program by luring top talent.
On Friday, Sadler said a recruit and his parent toured the Student Life Complex for about four hours, completely amazed.
“There are so many great things about being at Nebraska, this is just another one of them,” Sadler said. “When we go out and say we have the best academic services … we can back it up.”
And the best part, at least in Osborne’s mind, is that the NU athletes benefit the most. That’s why Osborne made a commitment to the facility so early in his tenure, according to Dennis Leblanc, senior associate athletic director for academics and compliance.
“There wasn’t anything that needed to be said,” Leblanc said. “It was a way for him to make a statement, a confirmation ... that the No. 1 priority is our student athletes.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com
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