UConn Alum Pledges Record Donation For Field House Transformation

STORRS, CT — Trisha Bailey, a 1999 University of Connecticut graduate who was a member of the Husky cross country and track and field teams, has committed what school officials termed, "a significant lead gift" toward the construction of a state-of-the-art student-athlete performance and academic support center on the Storrs campus.

The amount of the donation was not disclosed, but the gift "represents the largest cash contribution ever received from a UConn alumnus, and the largest gift dedicated specifically to UConn Athletics, Athletic Director David Benedict said.

In recognition, the institutional advancement committee of the UConn Board of Trustees recommended naming the facility the Bailey Student Athlete Success Center, pending approval by the full board on Oct. 26.

Benedict said, "She is the ideal model for our student-athletes to aspire to become champions in all they pursue well after their playing days are over. Her unprecedented and transformational generosity will dramatically elevate the academic, nutrition, and mental wellness needs for all of our more than 600 student-athletes, it also will provide a new home to six of our Olympic sports – five of which are women's programs."

The project involves an 80,000-square foot renovation and expansion of the former recreation center and areas within the existing Hugh S. Greer Field House, Benedict said. The facility will house an academic center, clinical space for sports medicine and mental health services, kinesiology teaching space, a rowing practice tank, strength and conditioning apparatus, a communal kitchen and nutrition area, and a multipurpose training and meeting spaces.

New locker rooms and team offices will be constructed for field hockey, rowing, swimming, tennis, and both men's and women’s track and field, he said.

The National C Club will also be housed in the facility.

Other improvements include a new entry pavilion and reception area, and a landscaped pedestrian way between the facility and the adjacent George J. Sherman Sports Complex.

Bailey is a native Jamaican who was raised in East Hartford and now resides in Orlando, FL, is a 1999 graduate of UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She also holds both an MBA and Ph.D. in organizational leadership.

Bailey founded several companies, including Bailey's Pharmacy, Bailey's Medical Equipment and Supplies, Bailey's Scrubs, Bailey's Real Estate, Bailey's Ideal Choice Homes International Real Estate Division, Bailey Charitable Foundation, and Serenity Ranch.

See more about the project on the UConn Today site.