Eastern Michigan Athletics
GameAbove Donates $8 Million to Build and Operate Golf Facility
12/13/2019 3:33:00 PM | Men's Golf, Women's Golf, General
New world-class indoor training site to support championship golf program
More Information on GameAbove.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — GameAbove, a group of dedicated Eastern Michigan University alumni with various academic and professional backgrounds, today announced an $8 million gift to build a state-of-the art golf training facility to support EMU's championship collegiate program. The new facility will be named "The GameAbove Golf Performance Center" – dedicated to Eastern Michigan men's golf coach Bruce Cunningham.
The capital project was approved Dec. 13 by EMU's Board of Regents, meaning construction is expected to start in the spring and a new facility could be operational by the end of 2020.
"I want to thank GameAbove for this transformative gift to our golf programs," said EMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee. "It has been a pleasure working with these fine alumni who care so deeply about our university to bring this opportunity to fruition. With this incredible new facility we will have the best, most state-of-the art golf performance facility in the Mid-American Conference and the region. This will elevate our golf programs immediately as we look to compete on the national stage year in and year out. This announcement comes at a perfect time, with our men's golf team coming off their 2019 MAC Championship and our women's golf team winning both of their fall events this year. We cannot say thank you enough to GameAbove and all they are doing for Eastern Michigan University and Ypsilanti."
GameAbove's investment, which will include $6 million to $6.5 million toward construction and the remainder for 12 years of operational costs – enables the men's and women's golf teams to continue to compete at the highest level and further enhances the university's recruitment capabilities for the Division I program. EMU's men's golf team, for example, won the 2019 Mid-American Conference championship.
"A truly exceptional golf program deserves the best equipment and facilities to remain competitive in today's collegiate experience," said GameAbove spokesperson Denis Wolcott. "The group of dedicated Eastern Michigan University alumni who are behind GameAbove is excited and proud to further enhance the total academic and scholastic environment at EMU."
"We also are honoring the incredible 27 years of coaching excellence by Bruce Cunningham. Bruce has truly built and guided one of the best collegiate golf programs in the conference," Wolcott said.
The facility will serve as the indoor training site for the Eastern men's and women's golf teams. The building will encompass approximately 15,000 square feet, and include locker rooms, offices, indoor putting and chipping, and simulators to support both indoor and outdoor training. The building will provide the University's golf teams with a state-of-the-art facility to train all elements of their game and allow the teams to train at a high level, even during inclement weather. Additionally, the facility will be used to host youth and community events to expand the teaching of golf in Ypsilanti and southeastern Michigan.
"The EMU women's golf team is so appreciative and thankful for this tremendous gift from GameAbove," said Head Women's Golf Coach Stephanie Jennings. "As an alum and former student-athlete, it brings me to tears because I'm thrilled about the progress of our program over the last 20+ years and the heights to which we can now reach. The new golf facility will be a complete game changer in how we recruit, how we train, and how we strive to achieve our goals of winning the MAC Championship and being a nationally ranked team."
As part of today's announcement, GameAbove will deposit its gift into a donor-advised fund dedicated for the new golf facility. Additionally, after the first 12 years of operation, there is an option to extend donations for operating expenses for another eight years.
"We cannot thank the GameAbove Advisory Board enough for their generosity and support of our golf programs," said Cunningham. "This will have a dramatic impact on our student-athletes skill set development and significantly enhance our off-season practice and training methods. The commitment by GameAbove to create a world-class, state-of-the-art indoor facility will ensure the continued growth of both programs and allow us to achieve our annual goals of competing nationally and producing MAC Championships."
Cunningham, who is in his 27th year at Eastern Michigan, was named the MAC Coach of the year in 2007, 2008, and 2019. He is one of only four men's golf coaches in league history to earn the accolade three-or-more times in a career.
"Eastern Michigan has provided me the professional courtesies and framework to build a nationally-relevant Division I golf program," Cunningham added. "This Performance Center is a testament to each and every student-athlete past and present, who committed their college career to EMU and were accountable to our values, goals and expectations. The former student-athletes deserve all the credit for taking equal ownership of the program and doing everything asked of them emotionally, mentally, and physically to leave the program each and every year better than when they entered. This facility will ensure our future pursuit of excellence through personal development, competitive spirit and team-work."
During his tenure, Eagle golfers have had some of their most successful years, finishing in the top three at the MAC Championships in 11 of the past 15 seasons. Furthermore, Cunningham has become accustomed to the NCAA experience, as he placed a team or an individual in six NCAA Tournaments during his time at EMU.
"This third gift in one month from GameAbove further demonstrates the organization's deep commitment to supporting the excellence of our University and our students," said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Rhonda Longworth. "We are extremely grateful for this outstanding group of alumni and their desire to positively impact Eastern Michigan University.
"Our men's and women's golf programs are highly respected and this gift provides the foundation to take the programs to the next level - with facilities that will allow our students to compete with the best in the country," Longworth said. "At the same time, we are pleased to have already initiated processes to provide our faculty and students with access to the funds from the initial $3.5 million gift under the "Faculty First and "Students Matter Most" initiatives developed by GameAbove."
The "Faculty First" initiative announced in November supports a range of faculty development endeavors. The "Student Matter Most" initiative focuses on providing financial resources for learning clubs, intramural sports, student government and student organization priorities, as well as solutions for student homelessness and housing insecurity, among other near-term needs.
About The GameAbove
At The GameAbove, our primary focus is to help shape, inspire and support the current and future students of Eastern Michigan University by reaching new heights in learning through transformation and inspiration in the educational experience. Together, we will strive for that next level of success with a GameAbove all others. The GameAbove family of organizations will also help improve the higher education experience by exploring and supporting the use of innovative financial models to sustain universities, creative giving within the community, enhancing the campus environment, elevating athletics and promoting pioneering academic programs. www.gameabove.com
About Eastern Michigan University Athletics
Eastern Michigan University has been a member of the Mid-American Conference since 1971 and has been among the league's most successful members. The Division I program boasts 149 MAC team championships, the most of any team in the league during that span. Eastern Michigan, which has had a representative at every summer Olympics since 1960, has won 15 team national championships and 55 individual national titles since 1932.
About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — GameAbove, a group of dedicated Eastern Michigan University alumni with various academic and professional backgrounds, today announced an $8 million gift to build a state-of-the art golf training facility to support EMU's championship collegiate program. The new facility will be named "The GameAbove Golf Performance Center" – dedicated to Eastern Michigan men's golf coach Bruce Cunningham.
The capital project was approved Dec. 13 by EMU's Board of Regents, meaning construction is expected to start in the spring and a new facility could be operational by the end of 2020.
"I want to thank GameAbove for this transformative gift to our golf programs," said EMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee. "It has been a pleasure working with these fine alumni who care so deeply about our university to bring this opportunity to fruition. With this incredible new facility we will have the best, most state-of-the art golf performance facility in the Mid-American Conference and the region. This will elevate our golf programs immediately as we look to compete on the national stage year in and year out. This announcement comes at a perfect time, with our men's golf team coming off their 2019 MAC Championship and our women's golf team winning both of their fall events this year. We cannot say thank you enough to GameAbove and all they are doing for Eastern Michigan University and Ypsilanti."
GameAbove's investment, which will include $6 million to $6.5 million toward construction and the remainder for 12 years of operational costs – enables the men's and women's golf teams to continue to compete at the highest level and further enhances the university's recruitment capabilities for the Division I program. EMU's men's golf team, for example, won the 2019 Mid-American Conference championship.
"A truly exceptional golf program deserves the best equipment and facilities to remain competitive in today's collegiate experience," said GameAbove spokesperson Denis Wolcott. "The group of dedicated Eastern Michigan University alumni who are behind GameAbove is excited and proud to further enhance the total academic and scholastic environment at EMU."
"We also are honoring the incredible 27 years of coaching excellence by Bruce Cunningham. Bruce has truly built and guided one of the best collegiate golf programs in the conference," Wolcott said.
The facility will serve as the indoor training site for the Eastern men's and women's golf teams. The building will encompass approximately 15,000 square feet, and include locker rooms, offices, indoor putting and chipping, and simulators to support both indoor and outdoor training. The building will provide the University's golf teams with a state-of-the-art facility to train all elements of their game and allow the teams to train at a high level, even during inclement weather. Additionally, the facility will be used to host youth and community events to expand the teaching of golf in Ypsilanti and southeastern Michigan.
"The EMU women's golf team is so appreciative and thankful for this tremendous gift from GameAbove," said Head Women's Golf Coach Stephanie Jennings. "As an alum and former student-athlete, it brings me to tears because I'm thrilled about the progress of our program over the last 20+ years and the heights to which we can now reach. The new golf facility will be a complete game changer in how we recruit, how we train, and how we strive to achieve our goals of winning the MAC Championship and being a nationally ranked team."
As part of today's announcement, GameAbove will deposit its gift into a donor-advised fund dedicated for the new golf facility. Additionally, after the first 12 years of operation, there is an option to extend donations for operating expenses for another eight years.
"We cannot thank the GameAbove Advisory Board enough for their generosity and support of our golf programs," said Cunningham. "This will have a dramatic impact on our student-athletes skill set development and significantly enhance our off-season practice and training methods. The commitment by GameAbove to create a world-class, state-of-the-art indoor facility will ensure the continued growth of both programs and allow us to achieve our annual goals of competing nationally and producing MAC Championships."
Cunningham, who is in his 27th year at Eastern Michigan, was named the MAC Coach of the year in 2007, 2008, and 2019. He is one of only four men's golf coaches in league history to earn the accolade three-or-more times in a career.
"Eastern Michigan has provided me the professional courtesies and framework to build a nationally-relevant Division I golf program," Cunningham added. "This Performance Center is a testament to each and every student-athlete past and present, who committed their college career to EMU and were accountable to our values, goals and expectations. The former student-athletes deserve all the credit for taking equal ownership of the program and doing everything asked of them emotionally, mentally, and physically to leave the program each and every year better than when they entered. This facility will ensure our future pursuit of excellence through personal development, competitive spirit and team-work."
During his tenure, Eagle golfers have had some of their most successful years, finishing in the top three at the MAC Championships in 11 of the past 15 seasons. Furthermore, Cunningham has become accustomed to the NCAA experience, as he placed a team or an individual in six NCAA Tournaments during his time at EMU.
"This third gift in one month from GameAbove further demonstrates the organization's deep commitment to supporting the excellence of our University and our students," said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Rhonda Longworth. "We are extremely grateful for this outstanding group of alumni and their desire to positively impact Eastern Michigan University.
"Our men's and women's golf programs are highly respected and this gift provides the foundation to take the programs to the next level - with facilities that will allow our students to compete with the best in the country," Longworth said. "At the same time, we are pleased to have already initiated processes to provide our faculty and students with access to the funds from the initial $3.5 million gift under the "Faculty First and "Students Matter Most" initiatives developed by GameAbove."
The "Faculty First" initiative announced in November supports a range of faculty development endeavors. The "Student Matter Most" initiative focuses on providing financial resources for learning clubs, intramural sports, student government and student organization priorities, as well as solutions for student homelessness and housing insecurity, among other near-term needs.
About The GameAbove
At The GameAbove, our primary focus is to help shape, inspire and support the current and future students of Eastern Michigan University by reaching new heights in learning through transformation and inspiration in the educational experience. Together, we will strive for that next level of success with a GameAbove all others. The GameAbove family of organizations will also help improve the higher education experience by exploring and supporting the use of innovative financial models to sustain universities, creative giving within the community, enhancing the campus environment, elevating athletics and promoting pioneering academic programs. www.gameabove.com
About Eastern Michigan University Athletics
Eastern Michigan University has been a member of the Mid-American Conference since 1971 and has been among the league's most successful members. The Division I program boasts 149 MAC team championships, the most of any team in the league during that span. Eastern Michigan, which has had a representative at every summer Olympics since 1960, has won 15 team national championships and 55 individual national titles since 1932.
About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education.
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