Press Release
May 4, 2011
Capital campaign begins on Training Center
With work on the new Travis Hafner Training Center coming along steadily,
Cowley College is kicking off the capital campaign to raise contributions
for the construction of the building. Cowley is offering individuals
an opportunity to be a part of the facility and have their name on
a permanent recognition plaque inside the training center.
The Travis Hafner Training Center will feature a multi-purpose area,
batting cages, weight facility, coaches offices, athletic training room,
a pair of conference rooms, as well as locker rooms and restrooms.
“This will be one of the top indoor facilities in all of junior college
and will give us the No. 1 weight facility among junior colleges,” Cowley
College athletic director Tom V. Saia said.
To make this project a success and provide championship facilities for
the Tiger athletic program, individuals can make gifts of $500 or more
over a three-year period. All gifts of $500 or more will be acknowledged
on a permanent recognition plaque inside the facility.
“Our goal is to raise $250,000 to help with the construction of the training
center, and we’re looking for gifts of all sizes to make this a reality,” Ben
Schears, vice president for institutional advancement said.
With the addition of the track and field and cross country teams in 2001,
and the soccer teams in 2008, Cowley has been in need of an additional
practice facility, along with the school’s recreation building.
The facility will be utilized by all 15 of Cowley’s athletic teams
and will benefit the school in recruiting in-state and out of state student
athletes. Hafner, a former Tiger great and member of the Cleveland Indians,
provided the school with a remarkable lead gift to get work started on
the facility, which is slated for completion in November, 2011.
“Travis (Hafner) loved what Cowley and the baseball program did for him,” Saia
said. “He never forgot about Cowley.”
Hafner, a member of the 1997 JUCO World Series winning Tiger baseball
team, is off to a scorching start to the 2011 Major League Baseball season
as he is batting .342 with four home runs and 11 runs batted in. He has
helped the Indians (20-8) race out to a 4 ½ game lead in the American
League Central Division and the best record in all of baseball.
Hafner, like so many Cowley athletes, has helped the school become known
and respected on the national level.
The Tiger athletic program has combined to win six national championships,
137 conference titles, and 76 region titles. They have also had three
national runner-up finishes.
To make a gift that will benefit Cowley College student-athletes and
the proud history of Tiger athletics, please call Tom V. Saia at 620-441-5246,
Shannon Massey at 620-441-5319, or Ben Schears at 620-441-5245. Individuals
can watch construction progress and also pledge gifts online at www.cowley.edu/alumni “So
many people love Cowley and want to buy in and feel a part of it because
of the success we have had in the past and will continue to have in the
future,” Saia said. “This will help us maintain being one
of the top athletic programs in the country and be able to bring in quality
student athletes to Cowley and the Arkansas City community.”
Cowley is currently second in the National Alliance of Two-Year College
Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Cup Standings, which recognizes excellence
in two-year college athletics based on success in championship competition.
Ben Schears, vice president for institutional advancement, is excited
about the opportunity the training center presents for the college and
the city.
“It will provide championship training facilities to our student-athletes,
and also be one of the most significant visual improvements to the southern
entry of Ark City in a generation,” Schears said.