by Malcolm Butler
The first recorded pledge towards the Origin Bank Center for Student Athlete Success was committed in 2016.
On Friday, almost 10 years and just over $11 million later, the groundbreaking celebration for the facility occurred before a crowd consisting of local leaders, businessmen and women, local and state government representatives, Tech administrators, coaches and student athletes.
“This facility will allow us to invest more into our student athlete experience from an academic perspective,” said Tech VP and Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey. “It’s going to allow us to be more efficient in serving our student athletes, and will also allow us to dive more into aspects of career development. It will help us prepare our student athletes for life after college.”
The facility is funded through a combination of state appropriated funds and private donations, both corporate and individuals.
Origin Bank has the naming rights to the facility.
Drake Mills, Chairman, President, and CEO for Origin Bancorp, Inc. said Friday during the groundbreaking ceremony that he was proud to be a part of the project. Mills is a 1982 Louisiana Tech graduate and the 2010 Louisiana Tech Alumnus of the Year.
“The opportunity that I have today to represent the Origin Bank team in this project is one of the most pleasing moments of my career,” said Mills. “It’s so gratifying and humbling to be in the position to look at our partners and friends that are involved in this and know it took all of us to be able to provide this opportunity. What this facility will mean to this school and to these student athletes is paramount in the focus Origin Bank takes in how we support our community.
“On behalf of the entire Origin Bank team, we could not be more pleased with the progress this University is making and the direction and vision that the leadership has for it. We are excited to be a small part of this opportunity.”
Ivey emphasized the importance of Origin Bank and all of the corporate sponsors and individual philanthropic pledges that have made it a reality.
“We couldn’t do this without our donors,” said Ivey. “If you think about Origin Bank and their willingness to invest heavily in this project. Their willingness to see the importance of this project.
“And then all of our other donors whether it’s $50 to $50,000 … every little bit has helped this project get off the runway and moving forward. We are very indebted to all of our donors.”
When the facility is completed, it will have the space and functionality to host other events, such as team meetings, game-day events, and possibly private parties, according to Deputy AD Gerald Jordan.
“There will be multiple uses for this building,” said Jordan. “It’s more than just an academic center. We can hold receptions, meetings, pregame events … it can serve a number of purposes.”
Jordan said the facility will include two balconies on the field-facing side of Joe Aillet Stadium that could be used for private events and game-day events. He also added there will be an approximately 3,000-square foot lobby on the first floor (field level) large enough to hold team and private events.
The academic center proper will be located on the second level, consisting of private tutor rooms, study spaces, and academic center offices.
Actual work on the facility began April 14 and the project is set to be completed in August of 2026, an approximate 15-month build.
Lindsay McKaskle, Senior Associate AD for Student-Athlete Success Services, said she is excited about moving into the new space and what it will mean for the Tech students. The current LA Tech Athletics Academic Center is housed in the Thomas Assembly Center and is only 3,000 square feet.
“Our number one goal is to serve our student athletes and to make sure that they have all the resources that they need from an academic perspective,” said McKaskle. “The space that we are in now is great and it does fulfill our needs, but to have a new expanded space that we can sell from a recruiting standpoint will be invaluable. I know our coaches will be proud to show it off to recruits.
“We are excited about some of the new technology that we will have in this space. It’s just a newer expanded version of what we have now that will better serve our student athlete population as a whole in a much better way.”
According to Jordan, when the Origin Bank Center for Student Athlete Success is completed it will mean more than 100,000 square feet of new construction has occurred in the Tech Athletic Village since the start of 2012.
Friday morning’s groundbreaking for the Origin Bank Center for Student Athlete Success was just one of two on the Tech campus that day, including the Forest Products Innovation Center on South Campus
“The two remarkable additions to our physical environment we celebrated today are tangible advances of our work in transformational learning and research,” said Louisiana Tech President Jim Henderson. “The industry partners, policymakers, and supporters who made these projects possible got a first-hand view of the promise of their efforts, a promise that will be fulfilled by dedicated Tech faculty and staff, a promise that will be manifested in generations of Tech graduates to come.”
