What: 

A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance Center and celebration of the Student Thriving Complex. The event will recognize the school’s largest investment in student thriving. The new building will be the first net-zero university building in the region.

When:             

March 1, 3:30- 4 p.m.

Where:            

American University, Reeves Field

Who:

Sylvia Burwell, AU President

Brontë Burleigh-Jones, CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer

Gina Adams, Board Chair

Billy Walker, Director of Athletics and Recreation

Alan Meltzer, Trustee (CAS/BA ’21)

Jack Cassell, Trustee (SOC/BA ’77)

Jason Belinkie, Bender Foundation, Inc.

Background:  

The new Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance and Student Thriving Complex will feature several sustainable features including a green roof space and a bioretention basin to capture stormwater. As a net zero building, it advances AU’s commitment to sustainability and will be fully powered by renewable energy from on-site renewable sources. The $109 million investment will provide opportunities for students to engage and succeed through the support of three new and improved hubs:

• The Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance, which is being designed for LEED Platinum certification, will be the first new athletics and recreational construction on campus in more than 30 years.  The building will provide state-of-the-art competition, practice, sports medicine, locker room, and training facilities to help student-athletes excel and expanded fitness and recreation amenities and gathering places where the entire AU community can come together. AU trustee Alan Meltzer, CAS/BA ’21, and his wife, Amy, made a transformative $15 million commitment to name the center. AU board chair emeritus and current trustee Jack Cassell, SOC/BA ’77, his wife, Denise, and the Bender Family Foundation have also contributed foundational lead gifts to the Meltzer Center.
• The Student Thriving Complex will further the AU public health approach to personal and community wellness by connecting the places, programs, and resources students need to thrive. The wellness facilities will house the Center for Well-Being Programs and Psychological Services and the Student Health Center. The new facilities will focus on preventive health activities and offer opportunities ranging from yoga classes to seminars on nutrition for health.
• As a part of the Student Thriving Complex project, Mary Graydon Center (MGC) will also undergo renovations and will feature a new Student Engagement Commons where students can socialize and participate in clubs and organizations.

RSVP:

To attend the event or schedule an interview, please contact University Communications at: 202-885-5950 or aumedia@american.edu.