The building of a modern student-athlete center at the University of Connecticut (UConn) in Storrs has been aided by a historic gift by Trisha M. Baily, the university announced earlier in October.
Bailey, a 1999 graduate of UConn, committed what the university calls a "significant lead gift" toward the construction of the performance and academic support center.
According to UConn Today, a campus online news service, the gift was the largest cash contribution ever received from a UConn alumnus and, specifically, the largest gift dedicated to UConn Athletics.
The exact amount was not disclosed.
"Trisha Bailey is an American success story that has its roots in the classroom and in competition at UConn," David Benedict, the school's director of athletics, said in a statement to UConn Today. "She is the ideal model for our student-athletes to aspire to become champions in all they pursue well after their playing days are over.
"Her unprecedented and transformational generosity will dramatically elevate the academic, [nutritional] and mental wellness needs for all our more than 600 student-athletes. It also will provide a new home to six of our Olympic sports — five of which are women's programs."
In recognition, the institutional advancement committee of the UConn Board of Trustees recommended naming the facility the Bailey Student Athlete Success Center, pending approval by the full board.
"On this 50th anniversary year of Title IX, it is an honor to have Trisha's name on this world-class new facility as an enduring legacy for generations to come," Benedict added.
Project Dramatically Upgrades Athletics Center
The project involves an 80,000-sq. ft. renovation and expansion of the former campus recreation center and areas within the existing Hugh S. Greer Field House. The updated facility will house an academic center, clinical space for sports medicine and mental health services, kinesiology teaching space, a rowing practice tank, strength and conditioning apparatus, a communal kitchen and nutrition area, and a multipurpose training and meeting spaces.
In addition, UConn Today noted that new locker rooms and team offices will be constructed for field hockey, rowing, swimming, tennis and both men's and women's track and field. The National C Club also will be housed in the facility, while other improvements include a new entry pavilion and reception area, and a landscaped pedestrian way between the facility and the adjacent George J. Sherman Sports Complex.
Entrepreneur's Gift to Have Lasting Impact
Bailey, a native Jamaican raised in East Hartford and now a resident of Orlando, Fla., graduated from UConn's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She holds both an MBA and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership. In addition to being an accomplished student-athlete, she was also involved with Student Support Service at UConn from 1995 to 1996.
"It's not so much the journey that I found to be most important," she told UConn Today. "It's the way I treated those along the way that mattered the most, and when I look at the beginning of it all, UConn was right there."
Following college, Bailey became a successful entrepreneur. She started several companies including a pharmacy, a medical equipment and supplies firm, and a real estate business, among others.
"Trisha is a real-world example of how philanthropists can be transformative in the lives of people," said Jake Lemon, president of the UConn Foundation. "This gift will have an incredible impact on student-athletes both now and for many years to come. Simply put, we cannot say thank you enough."
Today's top stories
