The construction of the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center, announced last week in an e-mail to the student body from University President Lawrence Bacow, is tentatively set to begin in November 2008, according to Vice President of Operations John Roberto.
This construction will follow the completion of a design process that is slated to start next month and will be a "multi-phase project that would take place over a couple of years," Roberto said. "It would probably be about a two-year construction period if all goes smoothly," he said.
The 30,000-square-foot center will be located in between the Cousens Gym and the Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center and will feature new locker rooms, teaching space and a coaching office suite. It was made possible by a $10 million donation from Steve Tisch (A '71).
Other parts of the project will see the basketball court in Cousens renovated, the Hamilton Pool converted into squash courts and a new pool added.
Despite Tisch's donation, the $30 million needed for the project has not yet been raised. "We need to do a bit more fundraising to make the pool and squash courts a reality," Bacow told the Daily in an e-mail. "But I am confident we will succeed."
Bacow announced a second project last week that will provide for the construction of a campus center at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences in Boston.
The construction, set to begin in the spring of next year, will be an internal renovation of the existing eight-story Sackler Center for Health Communications.
When completed, the campus center will include new study areas, lounges and a small group of classrooms.
In addition, there will be a small fitness center and a "consolidation of some student services and some administration activities," Roberto said.
The goal of the construction is to create an environment that fosters student interaction on a social level. "What's lacking on the Boston campus is a sense of community," Roberto said.
Bacow agreed. "Imagine the Medford campus without the Mayer Campus Center," he said. "Our medical students currently lack a centralized gathering space to support student life and activities."
If all goes according to plan, the renovations will be completed in the summer of 2009.
Dr. Steven Jaharis (M '87) and his father Michael Jaharis have committed $15 million from the Jaharis Family Foundation for the Sackler remodeling project.
Both the Jaharis and Tisch contributions were part of Beyond Boundaries, Tufts' ongoing capital campaign.
