Email from Georgetown to fans

[Norm]

I live in Washington, DC and somehow got on the Georgetown athletics mailing list (I think because I bought some GU-MU tickets through the schools website once). Here is an e-mail that was sent out by their athletic director tonight (there's a facility update, but the rest talks about the BE shakeup):

Dear Hoya Faithful:

In the last year-plus since being named the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Georgetown, I have been honored and humbled to be part of the Hoya Family.  It has been a great pleasure to embrace the athletic and academic excellence that defines Georgetown and Georgetown Athletics.

I write to you today to hopefully provide you with some perspective on the events that have unfolded over the past five days and to assure you that President DeGioia and I are fully engaged on the issues and committed to preserving and enhancing Georgetown's position as a national power in men's basketball and as a national leader in intercollegiate athletics.  We are in almost constant contact with the leadership teams representing other Big East institutions and we continue to work through the endless possibilities of conferences shifting and merging and its impact on Georgetown University and the Big East Conference.  Unfortunately, this is not a new challenge, just the most recent.  Georgetown has been a leading voice in the conference dating back to its formation and our university and President DeGioia have continued to take on leadership roles and will continue to focus on what is best for Georgetown and our student-athletes.

Despite the conference scenarios, Georgetown remains committed to competing at the highest level of men's basketball and creating the best experience possible for our student-athletes in each of our 29 varsity programs.  To do so, we need to continue to make progress on our strategic priorities, specifically, enhancing the infrastructure and facilities for athletics, endowing scholarships to continue to attract the best and brightest to the Hilltop and providing our coaches and student athletes with the resources necessary to achieve our academic and competitive goals.

With that in my mind I'd like to share some details of the progress on the Intercollegiate Athletic Center (IAC).  The need for the IAC has never been more important than now and it is the most urgent priority for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.  The IAC is a 125,000 square foot facility that will house:

• New practice courts, locker rooms, team meeting rooms, lounge areas and coaches' offices for men's and women's basketball;
• Weight training facility and sports medicine/training room areas for all varsity student-athletes;
• Student-athlete academic center, auditorium and team meeting facilities for all varsity sports programs;
• New home for the Georgetown Athletic Hall of Fame and additional reception space to honor the University's rich athletic tradition and history;
• Additional locker room areas for the men's & women's soccer and lacrosse programs.

We've completed the initial process of layout and design of the facility and have begun the next step of submission for regulatory review.  This review includes submitting our plans to several neighborhood and architectural commissions, and we are now in the process of meeting with each one to obtain all the clearances necessary before we can break ground.  Although this is a lengthy process it is one we are pursuing vigorously.

At the same time, we have defined the financial model for the IAC and engaged a number of individuals within our community regarding the fundraising that will be necessary to complete this vision.

The best way to ensure our rightful place as a leader in college athletics is to ensure that our coaches and student-athletes have all of the resources they need.  The IAC, when completed, will be the most expansive facility improvement for Athletics since McDonough Arena was built, and will be a major step towards leveling a playing field that conference realignment seems to be shifting.

We will work through all that has occurred over the past five days, and with your continued support we will emerge from this a much better athletics program and University and we will maintain with pride our model for intercollegiate athletics.

WE ARE GEORGETOWN!

Lee Reed
Director of Athletics 

[77ncaachamps]

Letter's roadmap: "Hello. I'm sure you've been hearing about the changes in the BE" > "To ensure we provide the best basketball and intercollegiate sports programs, let's look at our current project, the IAC" > "We are Georgetown!"

What a tease!

[MUCam]

Letter's subliminal message: "You want Georgetown to stay relevant? Then you must give more money so we can continue to financially support our athletic department. Here's what your money has bought already. We need more."

[MUMac]

Letter's subliminal message: "You want Georgetown to stay relevant? Then you must give more money so we can continue to financially support our athletic department. Here's what your money has bought already. We need more."

Yep.  It was a fundraising letter more so than an informational letter.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Sounds liek they're building their version of The Al.

[MUMac]

Sounds liek they're building their version of The Al.

Without a Final 4 run.

[Henry Sugar]

Good thing GU has a full-time AD so they are able to take care of important actions like this.

[Tommy Brice for Coach]

Without a Final 4 run.

They were just there in 2007, that's more recent than us...

[MUMac]

They were just there in 2007, that's more recent than us...

It was a joke. 

MU built the Al on the heels of the Final 4 run.  GT is trying to build it on the heels of the threat of a split with the BE.

[4everwarriors]

Sounds liek they're building their version of The Al.

Crean obviously takes credit for this one too.

[T-Bone]

These are nothing really, as they can't say anything.  Just addressing the fans and letting them know they're working on it.  Nothing wrong with that, and if they address a funding issue with the athletic programs in the meantime...  not a big deal.  I'm surprised we haven't seen one from MU yet.

Once, and if, anything is settled we'll see letters from all the BigEast (or whomever) members announcing what they did and why they believe it leaves us stronger.