In a unanimous decision, the Texas State University System Board of Regents approved the athletics fee Lamar students voted to assess themselves in a January campus wide vote. Regent Michael Truncale, a Beaumont native and Lamar University alumnus, introduced the motion to approve the fee of $8.75 per semester credit hour for long semesters and $4.50 per semester hour for summer sessions to be used toward the reinstatement of football at the university.
“Lamar University has overwhelming support from the alumni association, the student body and there seems to be great excitement and anticipation in the community for the return of collegiate football to Lamar,” Truncale said in his motion. “Bringing football back to Lamar will enhance their recruitment efforts and provide an even greater incentive to attend the institution.”
The athletics fee will realize revenue of almost $2 million dollars per year which will be earmarked for the athletics department to meet the costs of bringing football to Lamar. A portion of the fee revenue will be used to bond money for the majority of the athletic facilities renovation.
The approval by the board of regents was one more successful hurdle in making football at Lamar a reality. The university will hire an architect to provide a cost assessment for construction of an athletic complex to include the renovation of Cardinal Stadium. Once that analysis is complete, Lamar must gain approval from the Higher Education Coordinating Board to proceed with the renovation. That would be the final approval needed before approaching the community for private donations to support the venture.
Community support will be needed to satisfy a Coordinating Board statute requiring 25 percent of renovation funding come from private donations. Although actual costs are forthcoming, Lamar officials estimate $5 million in private donations will be needed to meet the requirement. Steps in the coming year include; acquiring a final cost assessment by an architectural firm, gaining approval to begin construction from the Coordinating Board, addressing the community for private donations, begining the search for a football coach and beginning renovations to the athletics facilities. A likely timetable to begin Southland Conference competition is fall 2011.
