UNLV receives anonymous $1M donation for new athletic center

UNLV received an anonymous challenge donation of $1 million for the Student-Athlete Excellence Center, meaning any pledges up to that amount will be matched for the new initiative.

The potential total donation of $2 million will go toward the renovation of Lied Athletic Complex, where the center will be housed. The center’s aim is to improve nutrition and sports performance among Rebels athletes.

UNLV’s news release said renovations are expected to begin this winter.

“This is another important step in our ongoing effort to enable student-athlete excellence,” UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois said in a statement. “Nutrition is essential to performance in the classroom and in competition. This challenge will help build unprecedented capability and for the first time provide services aligned with sustained achievement.”

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Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.