New Building Will Help Athlete Recruitment

Rebel fans may know some UNLV Athletics statistics by heart: 17 sports, 430 student-athletes, founded in 1958 when Michael “Chub” Drakulich opened play for the Runnin’ Rebels. But there is one shocking statistic top-of-mind for athletic administrators and students alike: UNLV is just one of 10 Division I schools—out of 313 total—that lacks a dedicated academic athletic facility.

That record is about to be broken. Late this summer, the university will begin construction on the Academic Athletic Administration Building, a facility where student-athletes can focus on academics, build camaraderie, and promote greater bonds between UNLV and the Las Vegas community.

The Academic Athletic Administration Building will help coaches recruit the best student-athletes and bolster the program’s image and commencement rates. While the student-athlete graduation rate is at 51 percent—its highest ever at UNLV—the new facility will provide strategically placed resources for the collegiates.

“When we bring recruits to campus, one of the first questions they ask is about our student-athlete academic support,” says athletic director Mike Hamrick. “This facility will help us attract better students, which in turn will help them succeed academically and athletically.”

The building will offer student-athletes a wide range of services, including easier access to academic advising, computer and tutorial labs, and student lounges. The design’s award-winning concept was recognized last year by the American Institute of Architecture.

The new building will also provide a home for the UNLV Hall of Fame, with nearly 3,000 square feet dedicated to valuable memorabilia and the UNLV Athletics story. Additionally, the building will have a welcome area for Rebel Athletic Fund donors and house all administrative offices for UNLV Athletics.

Several donors have already committed significant funds for the $16 million facility, although private gifts of all sizes will also help create a $1 million operations endowment that will fund long-term maintenance costs.

Hamrick says that the new building will bring additional value to the student-athletes’ college experiences. The newly-expanded community relations department, which will be centralized in the new building, links student-athletes as speakers and mentors for charitable organizations, local schools, hospitals, and various youth events.

“Kids look up to UNLV student-athletes. Of course, part of this progress is academic, and part of it is about our role in the community. But all of it,” Hamrick emphasizes, “is about education.”