February 14, 200916 yr Hey guys, awesome thread, I am a student at the University of Akron and love checking on this site to see of projects that I havnt heard about yet! Anyway there are alot of projects going on here and ones recently completed , its really amazing whats going with the University, just to recap i'll list some of the projects I know about. -Infocision Stadium/Summa Field - http://www.uakron.edu/stadium/stadiumView.php -Quaker Square Dorm Conversion -Exchange Street Residence Hall Future Projects: -New parking garage on exchange street doubling the exsisting ones size. -Talk has been that the town house dorms and Galluci Residence Hall are on their way out to make room for new dorms housing 1200 additional students, but this is just hear-say I'll try to get actual pictures if anyone is interested!
February 14, 200916 yr I'll try to get actual pictures if anyone is interested! Sure. A complete UA photo tour would be great as well.
February 24, 200916 yr If Akron lands Payne,from Dayton, they probably better go ahead and get going on building an arena since they'll have 2 serious Bigs that any division I team would be envious of in 2011. Will it be called the King James arena? The LBJ?
February 26, 200916 yr A new, 10-11,000 seat arena would be incredible. As much as it would be nice to build it "basketball specific", it definitely needs to be built to be able to host hockey and/or indoor soccer/lacrosse. Meanwhile.. http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in...tor_mack_r.html Rhoades has been at Akron since 2005, seeing the athletic program through unprecedented growth that includes a new football stadium expected to open in the fall, an indoor football practice facility and student center, plus plans for basketball arena improvements to begin in the spring.
February 27, 200916 yr ^Very mysterious but incredibly vague! Seeing as its coming from the PD, they probably have no ambition to dig deeper into the meaning of "improvements". That could mean slapping a coat of paint in the locker rooms to the JAR. Highly likely it doesn't.. I can't really fathom a way to significantly improve the JAR that one would need to plan for. Its a relatively modern high school basketball arena next to world class nat and football practice facilities. If Mack Rhoades can put together a new arena in downtown Akron maybe they can name this the Rhoades Arena. Good idea on multi-use.. That really is a must. I see it coming together with funds from UA, city, county, and Lebron. He can use it for his events. Tack on the fabled 2nd downtown hotel?
February 27, 200916 yr If Akron's phantom new arena is as big (and as nice!) as Toledo's, I would be happy! I think 7500-9000 seats would be ok!
February 27, 200916 yr I kind of doubt they'd go much larger than 5,000 seats. They'd probably go the BG route with something like Stroh's Center. If they go with a joint city/UA venture, I highly doubt it will be smaller than current arena is now- mainly cause the Mayor HATES the Jar. And TTTT, it'll probably be used as a draw for a minor league hockey team.... Before renovation, it looked a little too "70's porno set" Must.find.pictures.
February 27, 200916 yr If they go with a joint city/UA venture, I highly doubt it will be smaller than current arena is now- mainly cause the Mayor HATES the Jar. And TTTT, it'll probably be used as a draw for a minor league hockey team.... I think everyone hates the JAR, and recognizes the need for a classier facility. UA is close to downtown, so I could see the joint venture working in Akron's case. It'd be a win-win for both the school and city. You can walk from the school to downtown, correct? Oh yeah. Part of the campus (mainly the Polsky Building) is actually in downtown, on Main Street. Next door to that is Mayflower Manor. Next to that is a surface-level parking, rumored to be the slot for an arena, across the street from Canal Park. I think I said this before, the JAR is just worthless...too small for major university functions, convocations or concerts, and too small to really "feel" like a college arena.
February 27, 200916 yr It would be down the street, if they were using the site that osborn engineering had marked (the link has since been removed). The 3-4 Blocks north of Building 22 (The Polsky building) was the site in their plans demo-ing or rehabbing the Mayflower Manor (formerly the Sheraton). That site would probably be big enough for an arena/hotel combo. I just don't know how I feel about displacing all those people that live there.
February 27, 200916 yr I vaguely recall there's been a massing put together for what an Arena could look like on Main St. That was about 3-4 years ago. There has only been rumors, whispers, and small hints that there could be something going on behind the scenes. Part of it is just connecting the dots and understanding that there's a big high school gym on campus that can be quickly sold out or maxed out. Its not what is needed for a primary arena that should have multi-use. The focus of the city of Akron the past couple years has been keeping Goodyear and Bridgestone in the city. That has mainly succeeded. With the new transportation center on the edge of the city completed, they can refocus on final details of downtown vibrancy. The university has been focused on their projects with the football stadium and acquiring Quaker Square hotel among many others. That all said, there's still a lot on both city's and university's plates besides even getting to discuss an arena. Apparently Mack Rhoades will be the one taking the lead on this. With his success of putting the stadium together he's familiar now with most of the movers and shakers of the city. This will be another level or 3 of complexity over that deal though.
February 27, 200916 yr C-Dawg, I completely understand the state of MAC athletics. But if it is built downtown, it is being built for more than MAC basketball.
February 27, 200916 yr It had been rumored that Mayor Don is interested in attracting an NBA development league team to the city using Lebron as a major force.
March 1, 200916 yr There is no doubt in my mind that when InfoCision opens it will be the best football stadium in the MAC. To my understanding, a lot of work has been put into making this a very fan friendly stadium. I've been to almost all the MAC stadiums and just don't see how any of them will come close to ICS. As for the JAR, I don't see UA building a replacement until we start selling out on a consistent basis. It's still structurally sound and I too have heard some rumors that there will be some upgrades to the JAR in the future. I agree that compared to other MAC venues, it feels like a HS gym, but that's what we've got. I would love something better, but I would rather see a new Soccer stadium before we build a new BB arena.
March 1, 200916 yr ^When I went to the UofA I recall parking a couple blocks over from the Jar and going to classes and it always was among the most uncomfortable of walks anywhere. Its stark and open so you're exposed to the wind, rain, snow, and heat. Still to this day I recall how annoyingly exposed that area is and I rarely if ever go to the Jar for any event. Placement of an arena downtown would likely bring many more fans since there's more to do immediately after a game and of course before the game. Unless you plan on working out or going to the nat, there's really nothing by the Jar.
March 12, 200916 yr Hey guys its interesting reading about the new arena, I had no clue they had any plans to build a new one, if they indeed put it downtown, it will be quite far from the new stadium, 1-1.5 miles, far for walking. I just wanted to add a little update on the stadium, in the past couple weeks its been really making progress, they have alot of the windows in and th eoutside structure is starting to take shape. Also I learned this week that March 16th they are starting on a new parking garage, it is going to belocated on the surface lot next to and in front of the current exchange parking deck, the two decks will be connected, the new addition is supposed to add 500 spaces and be 6 floors, idk how this is possible since the deck its being connected to is only 5 floors, heres a map of where the deck will be, the yellow is the new deck, http://www.uakron.edu/dotAsset/463819.jpg
March 12, 200916 yr Hey guys its interesting reading about the new arena, I had no clue they had any plans to build a new one, if they indeed put it downtown, it will be quite far from the new stadium, 1-1.5 miles, far for walking. I just wanted to add a little update on the stadium, in the past couple weeks its been really making progress, they have alot of the windows in and th eoutside structure is starting to take shape. Also I learned this week that March 16th they are starting on a new parking garage, it is going to belocated on the surface lot next to and in front of the current exchange parking deck, the two decks will be connected, the new addition is supposed to add 500 spaces and be 6 floors, idk how this is possible since the deck its being connected to is only 5 floors, heres a map of where the deck will be, the yellow is the new deck, http://www.uakron.edu/dotAsset/463819.jpg I think this new potential arena would be a "shared" venue between the city and the University- probably still utilizing the Jar for some of the lesser-attended sports. Nice about the deck expansion.
March 13, 200916 yr Skyway to build sit-down eatery near UA stadium Restaurant will be chain's first to go beyond drive-in By Jim Carney Beacon Journal staff writer POSTED: 12:22 p.m. EDT, Mar 12, 2009 A Skyway restaurant to be built next door to the new University of Akron football stadium is being heralded as more than just a place to eat burgers, fries and onion rings. The restaurant, the first to offer inside seating in the regional chain's 57-year history, is seen as a sign of the rejuvenation of the UA neighborhood around the $61.6 million stadium, said Ken Stapleton, senior economic development adviser and executive director of the University Park Alliance. ''We predicted that InfoCision Stadium would have this kind of positive impact on attracting both new businesses and residents,'' Stapleton said. The Skyway Drive-In Restaurant, to be built at the northeast corner of Spicer and Exchange streets, will be Skyway's third franchise restaurant. In addition to franchise restaurants in Green and Stow, the company also has corporate-owned restaurants in Fairlawn and Medina. It will be located on the site of a car wash, a former Subway restaurant and a legal office. The Subway relocated across the street on East Exchange Street several years ago and the law office of attorney Ted Chuparkoff moved to Akron's Wallhaven area several years ago. The chain's first Fairlawn restaurant opened on West Market Street in 1952, and all Skyways have been drive-ins. To read more, visit....http://www.ohio.com/news/41153437.html The director of the Gardner Student Center back in 2002 told me they were interested in doing this...turns out he was right!
March 16, 200916 yr never had skyway.. always eat at swensons.. but I'll be sure to try it instead of eating in the stadium...
March 17, 200916 yr never had skyway.. always eat at swensons.. but I'll be sure to try it instead of eating in the stadium... Skyway is pretty good, actually...I haven't had it in ages though!
March 19, 200916 yr The Skyway is being built immediately next to my old Apt. building. Too bad all that was there back then was a subway. I can't say I'll be going there on game days though.....I'll be cooking some of my own food within sight of ICS.
March 19, 200916 yr Hey Zipsrifle, any hot leads on where the best tailgating areas will be? And I refuse to accept "parking garage" as an answer, lol. I honestly hope the school/city don't waste time/money/effort on busting otherwise law abiding citizens who just happen to have an open container of adult beverage!!
March 21, 200916 yr I'm sure you can buy a primo spot next to the fieldhouse which is immediately next to the stadium. Rumor has it that Lee Jackson field will be open for tailgating too (Bad idea IMO) but if you get there late, you will be in a parking deck. I'm tailgating in the Schrank South lot and I'll be there at the crack of dawn to get my spot too! As for alcohol, my understanding is that UA will NOT be banning open containers from the parking lots so... :drunk:
March 22, 200916 yr hmm.. intersting.. I wonder if UA/Akron could really strike a deal for an Arena... I was just in the dayton area by wright st.. Akron would greatly benefit from something like the nutter center. but right now theres no place to put it..cuz there would have to be ample parking..
March 23, 200916 yr I think there would be plenty of parking available downtown with Polsky's and Oniells there. I'm torn re: the arena issue. The Zips play so well at the JAR, and it's photogenic on tv, but it's so horribly designed. There is no buzz at all about the place. Getting an amazing, new, state of the art facility is tempting. But I would hate to see a "Cleveland State" scenario arise where the basketball team plays in front of 3-4k fans and the place looks empty with zero energy. Any new arena would have to be designed to keep the intimacy and I'm not sure how they could do that. hmm.. intersting.. I wonder if UA/Akron could really strike a deal for an Arena... I was just in the dayton area by wright st.. Akron would greatly benefit from something like the nutter center. but right now theres no place to put it..cuz there would have to be ample parking..
March 24, 200916 yr Its rather simple.. A design that utilizes the compacity needed for intimacy as well as plenty of room for guests. A smaller version NWA in Columbus would be good. Personally.. I'd like to see a double decked arena with the outside to be a concourse around the arena that would have sports bars/retail stores thus making it a multi-use building not only used when there is a sporting event/concert. (just an idea)
March 24, 200916 yr Agreed. Nationwide and the design of the arena district did a tremendous job of bringing street life to the area. If the Akron arena is to be built across from the baseball stadium downtown, as is the rumor, making the block as vibrant as possible should be a primary goal. Especially when you compare Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, there is the team shop and restaurant, but most of the structure/parking garages are just one tremendous dead zone (see also, Columbus Convention Center). On the other hand, build the multi-purpose arena with a strong, sidewalk fronting retail component and you can now lease out that space to businesses and get some money back. Fat Fish Blue in Cleveland is a terrific example of how parking garages can work to maintain street presence. Its rather simple.. A design that utilizes the compacity needed for intimacy as well as plenty of room for guests. A smaller version NWA in Columbus would be good. Personally.. I'd like to see a double decked arena with the outside to be a concourse around the arena that would have sports bars/retail stores thus making it a multi-use building not only used when there is a sporting event/concert. (just an idea)
March 25, 200916 yr would love a ffb in Akron.. went to the one in newport, ky all thetime till they closed.. miss that joint.
March 25, 200916 yr What ever happened to the Global Business Insitute planned for the Campus? http://www3.uakron.edu/nmc/plan/building-cba.html I never heard much anything about this in the first place.
April 6, 200916 yr What ever happened to the Global Business Insitute planned for the Campus? http://www3.uakron.edu/nmc/plan/building-cba.html I never heard much anything about this in the first place. I had inquired about that a few months ago. The official response is that they have every intention of doing the addition. It is needed, they just haven't been able to grow the charitable donations for the business school as quickly as anticipated. Mostly because the athletic department has tapped several major contributors as of late. (thank you Infocision and Summa for all you have done for the school)
April 7, 200916 yr I hadn't seen that design. Thats pretty stunning compared to the bland, boxy, squat CBA building next door. I'm also kind of confused if its saying its an "addition". Would it be attached or perhaps they would attach it only via the skywalks? Personally, I'd love to see the addition morphed into the CBA pyramid. Otherwise everything around the CBA will have shimmering metal sails.
April 7, 200916 yr http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/42488587.html Downtown restaurant sees revenue sink House of Hunan owners blame construction, parking loss By Paula Schleis Beacon Journal business writer Published on Sunday, Apr 05, 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or [email protected].
April 7, 200916 yr I'm praying the House of Hunan can hold on for just a bit longer, that place is amazing.
April 7, 200916 yr I hadn't seen that design. Thats pretty stunning compared to the bland, boxy, squat CBA building next door. I'm also kind of confused if its saying its an "addition". Would it be attached or perhaps they would attach it only via the skywalks? Personally, I'd love to see the addition morphed into the CBA pyramid. Otherwise everything around the CBA will have shimmering metal sails. From my estimation it will be attached somehow. I love the design of the new building. It so amazing to see all the development going on. I cant even think what the campus/downtown area will look like in 10-15 years.
May 5, 200916 yr As a student let me say that this university is on an upswing, there's no denying that. We have absolutely great faculty in the engineering college. Also, I've had some awesome profs from the math dept. UA is experiencing all the things that are needed to rise in the national rankings...now all we need is to reevaluate how we handle open enrollment. Proenza wants to give an education to everyone--and that's great! But what he's doing is raising the acceptance rate, lowering the quality of incoming classes, and drastically decreasing the graduation rate. All of these aspects of open enrollment count against UA in the national ranking systems. And if he wants to see the true rise of this university, that's were it starts. I love what UA is doing, but I feel like I was deceived. I was accepted to Miami University and chose UA over them because I felt UA was really up and coming. But as long as open enrollment exists the way it is now, UA will never be respected academically, and high caliber students will be scared away. GO ZIPS!
May 7, 200916 yr I hear you, it's kind of a catch 22 situation...while the open enrollment does allow practically everyone a shot at a great education, the school will always be mired in the "mid" or "lower" tiers for exactly that reason. And not that the stupid "tier system" is really a good indicator, but yeah, schools get a lot of +/- publicity from those rankings in the major publications. But anyhow... Zips Forever!!!
May 31, 200916 yr http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/46564547.html University of Akron leader marks 10 years at helm of campus transformation, ambitious research initiative.
June 2, 200916 yr ^ I have to disagree with that opinion. Its really not that easy to get a 4-yr degree at least it wasn't when I was going to the UofA. Yes it is easy to get in. Its a whole different story in getting out with a degree. I felt there were tremendous hoops because of the timing of classes that are needed to graduate. It was almost impossible to graduate in 4 years let alone 5. I understand things have definitely changed in the freshman and sophomore classes in the last 10 years. I still think its difficult to get a degree in 4 years unless you're in such a common track like Marketing. Because of the difficulty, I don't think there are that many people running around with 4yr degrees. Also, the people that do graduate, many still will leave Ohio once they get their degrees. I have many friends that have 4yr degrees from Ohio schools and in particular Akron that live throughout the US. So I totally dispute that there is a degradation in the value of a 4 year degree. I can see your point if you mean that because so many gen Y students have Marketing degrees its degraded their value. Overall, a 4yr degree is far, far better to have than not.
June 4, 200916 yr ^ I have to disagree with that opinion. Its really not that easy to get a 4-yr degree at least it wasn't when I was going to the UofA. Yes it is easy to get in. Its a whole different story in getting out with a degree. Which brings up another flaw in the open enrollment system. It lowers the graduation rates of the schools C Dawg mentioned(Akron and Toledo). Selectivity in admissions and graduation rates are two of the most important factors in the US News and World Report unviersity rankings and other systems like it. Thus, UA nor UT will ever be able to climb to much higher national recognition without open enrollment being lifted, no matter how much money if invested. Open enrollment is a really polite and fresh idea. The idea of inclusiveness is truly how colleges should be run--if money weren't involved. Because American taxpayers will now be forced to foot the bill in forms of financial aid for students who on average don't graduate anyway makes open enrollment an economically irresponsible process at best. I felt there were tremendous hoops because of the timing of classes that are needed to graduate. It was almost impossible to graduate in 4 years let alone 5. I understand things have definitely changed in the freshman and sophomore classes in the last 10 years. I still think its difficult to get a degree in 4 years unless you're in such a common track like Marketing. Because of the difficulty, I don't think there are that many people running around with 4yr degrees. Also, the people that do graduate, many still will leave Ohio once they get their degrees. I have many friends that have 4yr degrees from Ohio schools and in particular Akron that live throughout the US. I agree. I'm majoring in Chemical Engineering at Akron, and although I plan on graduating on time, it is still intensely difficult. But it's worth it because of the monetary benefit after graduation. The average Chemical Engineer makes about 60,000 their first year out of college. I'll take four years(actually its five years because of co ops) of hell for that kind of pay. So I totally dispute that there is a degradation in the value of a 4 year degree. I can see your point if you mean that because so many gen Y students have Marketing degrees its degraded their value. Overall, a 4yr degree is far, far better to have than not. That's probably what he does mean. There's a shortage of people with degrees in engineering and nursing right now. If anything, the worth of those degrees is rising. On the other hand, business and marketing degrees are so commonly handed out to partiers, that a degree there with an average GPA can leave you jobless, or worse, at Taco Bell.
June 5, 200916 yr my spouse sez what they dont tell you in the marketing programs is that you have to do sales first...at least to be good at it. Open enrollment is terrible, period. It needs to end because it's dumbing down our schools. Not everyone should go to college (or start at an overpriced four-year university before they're ready). It's a privilege, not a right. I sense Akron is in the same boat as Toledo. Both schools are doing better and building more of a main campus presence, but are still plagued by low admission standards. Ohio, do away with open enrollment at all universities. The reason most bachelor's degrees aren't worth jack anymore is because too many kids have them. The American system is grossly oversized and bloated, and that goes double in Ohio. while i agree open enrollment is not a great idea, that is absolutely untrue about college and bachelor's degrees, what's unfortunately true is too many kids don't have them. only around a quarter of the adult usa population have bachelors degrees and above. so if you have one (and including any higher degrees), on average you are better off educationally than any three other adults. this falls right into line as first of all only half the population has an IQ over 100. then if you think about it after that even half of those with higher IQ's higher than 100 are not able to go to or finish college due to financial and many, many other reasons. bottom line is statistically the number of bachelor+ degrees works out pretty much just like it should.
June 5, 200916 yr It only seems like everybody and your brother has a 4yr degree because you're in college and most of your friends are all either going to college or just got out. Like mrnyc noted, only about a quarter of the population, if that, has a 4yr degree. I don't think Ohio runs the risk of having too educated of a population. There are changes coming to reduce the hurdles by making it easier to pretty much take the needed classes at almost any university in Ohio in order to finish up degrees. Hence the announced changes of OSU to Semesters. Back to the topic. I wonder when the next 10 yr vision from Proenza is going to be announced. I remember back when I was going there the UA or maybe it was the KSU president threw out there a rail link between KSU and Akron. I think that would be highly doable these days.
June 5, 200916 yr im sorry AD, a clarification just to hammer that home....only a quarter of the adult population, if that, have bachelor's degree and up, that includes all the MA's/PhD's, etc. too. back to akron...and you got my full attention with the ksu/akron rail link suggestion, is there any more info on that or was it just an idea that faded away? :wtf:
June 5, 200916 yr Back to the topic. I wonder when the next 10 yr vision from Proenza is going to be announced. I remember back when I was going there the UA or maybe it was the KSU president threw out there a rail link between KSU and Akron. I think that would be highly doable these days. That would be so cool. Could you imagine? Really quick transportation to and from football games for the students. Not to mention all the faculty members who teach at both schools. I know UA and KSU have joint PhD nursing programs, and I'm sure that's not the only collaboration between the two schools. Speaking of the football games, is anyone going to head up to the new stadium for the annual battle for the wagon wheel? If that isn't a sell out then I'm not sure what will be. There's so many UA and KSU alms in NEO.
June 5, 200916 yr Oh heck yeah, I'll be there. The Akron-Kent rivalry is one of the great things about living in Northeast Ohio!!! Speaking of the football games, is anyone going to head up to the new stadium for the annual battle for the wagon wheel? If that isn't a sell out then I'm not sure what will be. There's so many UA and KSU alms in NEO.
June 6, 200916 yr mrnyc, I just recall it was high level discussions about what merging ksu and UA would look like or even joint cooperation and trying to think outside the box. It seemed pretty pie in the sky then. But you look at how many buses both campuses have, plus all of the other parking facilities they manage, and its not so crazy thinking a light rail shuttle that runs on track owned by Metro could link the 2 campuses. There's probably more reason today to consider this given the NEOUCOM focus to Akron. I believe the period of time this was being considered was the "span the tracks" period. This is when UA started their move into downtown Akron and they were contemplating what the new assets could mean. So there is now a Metro Transportation center next to the tracks that has been hinted at being used for rail. Its obviously super easy to tie that in from there to the UA campus bus system. No cost there. Perhaps the trolleys that have to be moved out of Cleveland could be used? Call it the Zipflash express. It would end up at Pufferbelly's in Kent I would imagine. Plenty of Kent students manage to find their way to that area and again it shouldn't cost much to tie that in to the Kent campus bus system.
June 7, 200916 yr I would love it if there were a light rail line between Kent and Akron. I know a lot of people who would utilize such a service.
June 8, 200916 yr I don't understand why there is a push to eliminate open enrollment at UA. I totally understand that the rankings suffer, but there is something that is lost when you only let the most educated young people into your school. For me, back when I was at UA, it was the non-traditional student that brought so much to the classroom. One of my good friends was a Diesel mechanic for 15-20 years before getting hurt and deciding to go to college. He didn't have good grades in high school and really struggled early on. My buddies and I worked with him and in return, boy did he show us a thing or two about engines, cars, and building things in general. At that time, UA had 4 SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) competition teams. We built and competed against almost every major engineering school across the country and a few from across the pond. They had a Formula Style Race car, a Supermileage car, a Baja Car, and an Airplane competition. My Senior year Akron Engineers won 3 of those 4 competitions and my buddy was a key player in two of those championships. That same year I looked at a ranking of the top engineering schools in the country and Akron wasn't even mentioned. I really don't care what a magazine ranking says about UA, the companies hiring the students know who is turning out a good product and at least in the Engineering community, UA's stock is on the rise.
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