During the November Town Hall, Brain Franks, executive director of facilities development, operations and emergency services, gave faculty and staff an inside peek to the construction process for the new on-campus athletic stadium.

Phase I and II includes the land development, which includes working with the City of Fort Worth and civil engineering and architectural teams to demolish Avenue D & E that runs through Nashville and Binkley streets. In order to close roads, Texas Wesleyan University had to take ownership of the roads and work to remove public utilities in order for the construction process to begin.

The track and field contractor will start about 30 days after the city has approved all the utility relocation to build the NCAA-certified track and field. The stands, which is part of Phase III, will accommodate about 2,258 home seats — including ones with seatbacks — and 468 visitor seats.

The press box will also include ways for cameras to be set up on tripods and willto accommodate coaches, the official clock keeper, a concussion spotter, public address announcer and broadcasters. The main floor will have restrooms, ticketing booth and a concession stand, plus storage for athletics equipment.

The stadium will also pull in architectural designs from around campus to help match existing buildings and provide a more cohesive look.

Facilities also named the area where the Glick House is currently located to build the field house. A few options have been presented for a two-story multipurpose building that will include, a primary football locker room, other flex locker spaces that can be adjusted from one large room into smaller rooms for soccer, track and field and cross country, training room space, weight room, a video-viewing room and athletic staff offices. Parking will also be made available to accommodate the misplacement of current parking on campus.

There is also a future growth opportunity for an expansion of the weight room, training space and additional offices.

Franks also mentioned that the Kay Granger Mall and the lawn area in front of the administration building to be tailgating areas on game day. Facilities anticipate that game days will be mainly on the weekends, so it will not impact on-campus parking for most faculty and staff.

Staff Hero Award

During the Town Hall, President Slabach also presented Elaine Robinson, financial aid director, with the Staff Hero Award.

Donna Nance, vice president of finance and administration said she picked Elaine because of the great amount of work she has done in her short time at Texas Wesleyan. Elaine started in December of 2020 and has reviewed and improved financial aid processes, resulting in getting the university in compliance with the Department of Education Title IV Funds requirements. She also recruited a new financial aid team, which has enhanced the student experience.

The Staff Hero Award is given to a staff member who goes above and beyond to help reach University goals in alignment with the Engage 2025 Strategic Plan.

You can watch the recording of the November Town Hall online, and make sure to mark your calendars for the remaining town halls this academic year by viewing the schedule.