MSU to dedicate $30M recreation center

Missouri State University officials tomorrow have scheduled a dedication ceremony for the $30 million Bill R. Foster and Family Recreation Center.

The center - which received a significant donation for an undisclosed amount from multidecade Springfield businessman Foster and his family to earn naming rights in late 2011 - is a 100,000-square-foot facility built nearby JQH Arena.

“The recreation center is another great example of how donors like Mr. Foster and the Foster family can have a positive impact on students,” MSU President Clif Smart said in a news release. “This facility will provide incredible opportunities for many generations of Missouri State students. It is an honor to have the Foster family name on this facility."

Officials also tomorrow are planning to dedicate the adjacent Michael T. Nietzel Plaza, recognizing the university's ninth president who guided the recreation center through initial planning and construction.

"Nietzel had a positive impact on the university during his five years, and he certainly had a great influence on me personally. I am extremely pleased we could honor him in this way, especially given the way in which he guided the Foster Recreation Center from a dream to a reality," Smart said.

The Bill R. Foster and Family Recreation Center was funded by university-issued bonds, private gifts and a student fee the school has collected since 2007. The facility had been slated for completion in late 2011, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

The Oct. 26 ceremony will include statements from university officials and members of the Foster family, the release said.

During an Oct. 23 proclamation ceremony for Salute to Construction 2012, Springfield Contractors Association President King Coltrin announced the MSU recreation center was a finalist for this year's SCA Project Team of the Year. Other finalists are John Deere Reman and the Springfield-Greene County Public Safety Center.