ELON COLLEGE – The Elon College Board of Trustees approved Wednesday the advertisement for bids for Rhodes Stadium, a $13 million on-campus stadium.
The bids will be advertised later this year. Construction is tentatively set begin next spring with the goal of having the stadium completed for the 2001 football season.
Elon’s football team currently plays in Burlington Memorial Stadium, which is several miles from campus at Williams High School in Burlington. An on-campus stadium is a key step in the college’s transition from NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics to Division I-A. All athletic teams except football are members of the Big South Conference. The football program has a Division I-AA independent status.
The bowl-shaped stadium will be built on the north end of campus, where the soccer field currently is located.
Funding for the stadium currently stands at $10,7 million. The stadium is named for Dusty Rhodes, a trustee, and his wife, Peggy, of Gibsonville. The field is named in honor of Bob McKinnon, a trustee and a 1962 graduate of Elon, and his wife, Ray, of Hickory.
The stadium is part of the Elon Vision, the college’s $80 million strategic plan to ensure continued excellence in the 21st century.
In other action, the board authorized the $1 million renovation of Whitley Auditorium, which was has been in use since 1924. The renovation will include installation of new heating and air conditioning systems, new seating and an organ.
The trustees also approved a plan for the new Elon Card system, giving students one-card access to cafeterias, the book store, banking services,
long-distance telephone use, security doors, vending machines, copiers, laundry, library checkout and other services. The system will be implemented next fall.
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