MUNCIE — Ball State officially opened its new Eric Foss Championship Performance Center Oct. 22 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, completing a $7.8 million project supported by alumni giving and university investment.
The event, which was during the university’s 100th Homecoming week, was the first time guests were invited into the 11,000-square-foot facility.
The space is designed to serve more than 350 student-athletes across Ball State’s 18 Divison 1 sports. Funded through a $4 million gift from the ceneters namesake, alumnus Eric Foss, and additional donor contributions, the center adds a new training space to the university’s athletic facilities.
Athletic Director Jeff Mitchell thanked attendees for coming and emphasized the importance of the facility.
“Thanks to Eric Foss and his family, our talented student-athletes now have a place where we can celebrate impactful training and benefit from the power of perseverance as they pursue excellence,” he said.
Foss, a 1980 Ball State graduate, serves as executive chairman and CEO of Primo Brands Corp. He previously held executive positions at Pepsi Bottling Group and served as chairman and CEO of Aramark.
Ball State President Geoffrey Mearns, senior softball student-athlete Maia Pietrzak and Foss spoke about the facility’s potential impact on student-athletes and the university.
Foss said his support for the project reflected his desire to give back to the university and invest in student-athletes’ development beyond sports. He described health and wellness, education and helping people facing hardships as priorities of his family’s charity.
“(Ball State) shaped me in a way that I went on to achieve many things that I never dreamed possible when I was a freshman walking around this campus,” Foss said.
He also expressed pride in the project and its potential future impact on the university and its student-athletes.
Mearns said Foss’s gift helped inspire additional contributions from other alumni donors, helping to make the center a reality.
Mearns also discussed the project’s development, noting that conversations about the facility began several years before its opening. To him, the center represents a broader investment in Ball State’s campus and its student experience.
“Yes, this is an athletics facility for student athletes, but we’re investing in programs that will support all of our students across every different program and activity," Mearns said. “It’s one more step in completing the long-term ambitious vision that we have for our campus.”
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State opens new performance center for student-athletes