CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A $10 million gift from an anonymous donor will fund the construction of a three-acre outdoor complex on UNC Charlotte’s campus, the school announced Tuesday.
The complex will provide year-round opportunities for informal and organized student gatherings, including tailgating prior to Charlotte 49ers football games.
The Student Outdoor Event Venue and Tailgate Park is scheduled to open in time for the fall 2022 football season.
“We are grateful for this generous donor’s investment in UNC Charlotte that will help build robust collegiate experiences to balance life in and outside the classroom; in particular, this Student Outdoor Event Venue and Tailgate Park will transform students’ overall experience on campus in novel ways,” Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber said. “As the Charlotte 49ers prepare to join the American Athletic Conference, this facility will help us sustain momentum for becoming a nationally recognized institution.”
The UNC Charlotte Foundation will oversee the construction of the 8,000-square-foot entertainment pavilion that will anchor the complex and whose student-focused design will be a distinguishing feature in higher education.
“We want all of our fans to have positive, memorable experiences at our games, and that is especially true for our students,” Mike Hill, Charlotte’s athletics director, said. “This new facility will give them new ways to engage on our campus and with our athletic program. We are excited about what this means for Charlotte football in the fall.”
WCNC Charlotte is part of seven major media companies and other local institutions reporting on and engaging the community around the problems and solutions as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a project of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative, which is supported by the Local Media Project, an initiative launched by the Solutions Journalism Network with support from the Knight Foundation to strengthen and reinvigorate local media ecosystems. See all of our reporting at charlottejournalism.org.