$2,000,000 pledge for Chiles Center expansion & renovation

University of Portland announces $2 million pledge from Earle M. Chiles for renovation and expansion of Chiles Center

University of Portland has announced a pledge of $2 million from Earle M. Chiles, president of the Chiles Foundation and a member of the University’s board of regents. The gift will help ensure the University’s iconic Chiles Center remains one of the premier and most modern athletic and convocation facilities on the West Coast.

“The Chiles family’s legacy of generosity and civic responsibility has made life richer at Oregon’s Catholic University,” said University president Rev. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C. “From Virginia H. and Earle A. Chiles, for whom Chiles Center is named, to their visionary son Earle M. Chiles, the family’s long-held commitment to the University of Portland and to the Congregation of Holy Cross has been pivotal in the University’s rise in national renown.”

In the spring of 2012, work will begin to modernize and expand the men’s locker rooms for basketball, soccer, baseball, and cross country; expand space for the strength and conditioning center; create a state-of-the-art student-athlete study area; and add additional administrative office space. A total of 10,365 square feet of new and remodeled space is expected to be completed by start of the 2012-13 fall sports season.

This project is the latest in a series of recent improvements to the Chiles Center. In 2006, the University expanded and rebuilt the women’s student-athlete locker room facilities during a $1 million renovation. Upgraded weight room training equipment was added in 2008, and a four-sided, center-hung video board was installed in 2010.

“This investment will benefit all of our student-athletes and maintain the Chiles Center as one of the finest collegiate athletic facilities on the West Coast,” Director of Athletics Larry Williams said. “It has been our mantra that we will continue to support programs of excellence and provide the necessary resources to compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics. The Chiles Center is already a phenomenal venue for fans attending events, but these enhancements will directly impact the student-athletes who are at the core of our mission. It will put our programs in better position for success in recruiting student-athletes and then providing them with the best resources for success.”

The Chiles Center is home to the University of Portland athletic department and is the home court for varsity basketball and volleyball games. It also houses all locker rooms for Pilot athletes, the sports medicine department, weight training room, and a Hall of Fame room. A recreational running track circles the upper mezzanine. The Pilots men’s basketball team has a combined 38-6 record at the Chiles Center over the past three seasons.

Dedicated in 1984, the Chiles Center ushered in a new era and immediately became not only the cultural and athletic center of campus life, but a vibrant resource for cultural, spiritual, and civic events in the Pacific Northwest. The friendly confines of the Chiles Center have been graced by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, Presidents Ronald Regan and George W. Bush, Jane Goodall and Bob Dylan, Jonathon Kozol and Michael Pollan, by tens of thousands of sporting events and graduations, concerts, and lectures.

The pledge is part of the University’s RISE Campaign, which was announced in December 2010 and seeks to raise $175 million over the next several years, which would result in one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university.

The campaign’s goals are divided into four major themes, each with funding targets: (1) Pursuing academic excellence and faculty funding – $70 million; (2) Providing access for all students and direct assistance – $45 million; (3) Developing faith and leadership – $10 million; and (4) Enriching the campus community and physical resources – $50 million.

The campaign’s goals are divided into four major themes, each with funding targets: (1) Pursuing academic excellence and faculty funding – $70 million; (2) Providing access for all students and direct assistance – $45 million; (3) Developing faith and leadership – $10 million; and (4) Enriching the campus community and physical resources – $50 million.

Looking forward to meeting this AM to review plans for $2M buildout of Chiles Center. "Wow" locker room, weight room, and training room.

RipCityPilot wrote:\wouldn't mind a new design on the floor, but its extra, I know.

PilotNut wrote:I am sure that they would welcome a donation for a new box office...

PilotNut wrote:My understanding is that this phase of the renovations will be the locker rooms offices, etc... items that are HUGE for coaching and recruiting, but not really visible from a fan perspective. My understanding is that they will "bump out" like they did for the WSOC facilities previously. I have heard that demolition is under way; I hope we see details, photos, etc. soon!

RipCityPilot wrote:My only questions is what do they do with the newly renovated baseball locker room when the whole team moves down to a new stadium on the river campus?

PilotNut wrote:

RipCityPilot wrote:My only questions is what do they do with the newly renovated baseball locker room when the whole team moves down to a new stadium on the river campus?

Renovate again for the Pilot Nation Lounge?

Good question; a River Campus stadium will likely have it's own clubhouse... I assume the freed up locker room space would be absorbed by other teams... that is a total guess though.

Fans attending University of Portland basketball games this season probably won't notice anything new about Chiles Center.

But behind the closed doors of the center's concourse, the makeover is dramatic, an upgrade exceeding $2 million that should enhance the lives of Pilots athletes, and particularly, the men's basketball team.

During the past year, the northeast and northwest corners of Chiles Center were expanded to include a new office for men's basketball and enlarge the weight room. In addition, the training room was remodeled and expanded, and the men's basketball locker room refurbished.

The remodel was paid for through a $2 million grant from the Chiles Foundation, and locker materials donated by UP alum Joe Hollman. More than 10,000 square feet in Chiles Center was impacted by the project.

"You're always looking for components that differentiate your school from others, and we feel we have done that here. This makes us very competitive with our peers," Pilots athletic director Scott Leykam said.

The men's basketball office and locker room have tech gadgets that UP officials say will make everyone's day more efficient. Men's basketball coach Eric Reveno says players are visiting more frequently since the office opened.

Reveno says it's not lost on him that in today's college athletics arms race era, new is good when it comes to recruiting.

"Kids do like shiny new things. You're recruiting 18-year-old boys, and they like to see a nice comfortable space," Reveno said.

The most dramatic upgrade came in the men's basketball locker room. It has a warm, clean feel from the wooden lockers and large white board, which converts to a high-tech smart board. Also new are bathroom and shower facilities that include showerheads for tall men.

Each player has a large wooden drawer, overhead storage, a phone-charging station and plush seating in his locker space. The smart board, which measures 70 inches across and uses university-designed software, allows players to pull up daily schedules, team plays, scouting reports and breakouts from the day's practice at the touch of a finger.

"This space was designed to help us make their day easier and more effective," Reveno said.

The basketball office is replete with video screens, the largest in Reveno's office, which doubles as a meeting space for coaches and players.

"Hopefully we can spend more time teaching and working with the student athlete," Reveno said. "I'm hoping this translates into better relationships amongst the staff and players."

The training room had a significant makeover. It includes a $40,000 whirlpool that can treat up to 12 athletes at once, larger offices and new, private exam rooms. In the past, exams were done behind a curtain. Richard Bennett, UP's head trainer, says the upgraded training room is as nice as any in the West Coast Conference, except BYU.

The Chiles Center weight room was expanded to nearly double its previous size. The most noticeable change is its brightness, as the room now includes outer windows. It is large enough to accommodate entire Pilots teams, instead of just a handful of individuals.

Leykam says the school's athletic department has no capital improvement projects on the immediate horizon, but some are beginning to simmer. Among the possibilities are upgrades to the baseball, soccer and rowing facilities. Leykam said someday he would like to upgrade seating and the scoreboard at Merlo Field, as well as add a video board.

The smart board, which measures 70 inches across and uses university-designed software, allows players to pull up daily schedules, team plays, scouting reports and breakouts from the day's practice at the touch of a finger.

"This space was designed to help us make their day easier and more effective," Reveno said.