Colorado State Athletics Receives $5 Million Gift from Bohemian Foundation for Women’s Athletics

The gift is the largest gift in Mountain West history devoted solely to women’s athletics

On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, as part of Colorado State Athletics’ “Impact 50” campaign, a significant moment of impact has arrived in the form of the largest singular gift devoted solely to women’s athletics in Mountain West history.

Continuing their history of significant philanthropic giving to Colorado State University, Colorado State Athletics is pleased to announce a $5 million gift from Bohemian Foundation to be used to benefit women’s athletics at CSU.

“When our coaches go onto the road and out into the community to promote Colorado State to prospective student-athletes, this gift will be a powerful tool in showcasing our communities’ commitment to our women’s programs,” said Director of Athletics Joe Parker. “And, our current cohort of female student-athletes will begin to see the immediate impacts of our incredible community partner in Bohemian Foundation as soon as this spring.”

“Athletics is a window into what a university is all about,” said Bohemian Foundation Executive Director Cheryl Zimlich. “Equity in athletics is one way to demonstrate the university’s commitment to equity across its programs. To mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX, we felt it was important to honor CSU’s female student-athletes, including the legacy of trailblazers like Becky Hammon, Amy Van Dyken, Janay DeLoach, and many others. This gift will improve facilities that future female student-athletes will use for years to come.”

The gift will be used to directly impact the student-athlete experience across women’s sports at CSU.

“Symbolically and in practical terms, this gift is a game-changer for our women’s athletics programs,” said interim university president Rick Miranda. “It’s a tribute to the strength and success of CSU women’s sports and the enduring power and importance of Title IX – and at the same time, it will create new opportunities to better support and showcase an outstanding group of student-athletes. Once again, Bohemian Foundation has demonstrated what a remarkable champion it is for CSU and our community – we are deeply grateful.”

The most immediate applications of the funds will be in two key areas:

• Increasing the budget of the facility upgrade project for the women’s soccer and softball programs which began construction on Aug. 18 and is expected to cost between $8-10 million
• Jump starting the budget plan for the second phase of the Moby Locker Room project which will create expanded locker room spaces for volleyball, softball, and soccer while creating a locker room for teams who train away from Moby Arena (golf, tennis, and track and field) to use for weightlifting sessions

“We are so grateful to our good friends at Bohemian Foundation for their transformational gift supporting women’s athletics at CSU,” said Karen Dunbar, interim vice president for the division of University Advancement at CSU. “While honoring the long-standing relationship between our two organizations, today we celebrate the meaningful enhancements and growth women’s athletics will experience because of Bohemian Foundation’s generous gift.”

Over the years, Bohemian Foundation’s support of CSU has been broad. Gifts from the foundation have established two endowed chairs for the university, and have supported projects at Rockwell Hall, the Powerhouse Energy Campus, the Salazar Center for North American Conservation, the University Center for the Arts, and Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium, among many others.

Additional support to enable programming such as School is Cool, Campus Connections, and the Little Shop of Physics has also been provided by Bohemian Foundation.

Construction of a new grass practice field for soccer and the upgrades for the softball stadium are already underway and expected to be ready for play to begin the 2023 softball season. At the conclusion of the current soccer season, construction will begin on that facility as well. Additionally, the second phase of locker room upgrades inside Moby Arena is expected to begin in early October.