“This would be a great use for this type of funding, given my understanding of the reason the students agreed to tax themselves 20-some years ago,” Angle said.
Fall 2009 enrollment at the main campus was 17,558, according to the university.
Wright State will retire its debt on the university-owned, $34 million athletics and concert arena on June 30, 2011, Angle said. The annual debt payment is $1.1 million.
Wright State President David R. Hopkins has met with student leaders in recent weeks as the university begins to weigh future uses for those funds.
The university is considering expanding intramural sports or upgrading athletic facilities, Angle said. “We have a wonderful women’s softball team and we want to put lights on that field,” he said.
In 1990, the university’s board of trustees approved a $35 increase in general student fees to help pay for the Nutter Center. The surcharge was approved in 1987 by Wright State’s student government.
Opened in December 1990, the Nutter Center has an annual revenue of approximately $3.8 million. The 12,000-seat facility is used for university events including athletics and commencement, as well as concerts, family shows, and trade and consumer shows.
The university has maintained and upgraded the arena, “but as you reach the 20-year mark some major systems are bound to fail,” said John Siehl, the Nutter Center’s executive director.
Angle said the university will decide what to do with the funds during the next academic year. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2419 or dlarsen@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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