CLEVELAND (July 10, 2019) – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USG Corporation (NYSE: USG) have announced Loyola University Chicago as the winner of the fifth annual USG NACDA Sustainability Award. Loyola was chosen from a pool of three finalists and received the award for its work on the Alfie Norville Practice Facility.
 
The Sustainability Award will be presented to Loyola at an on-campus event this fall. 
 
"The athletics department at Loyola shares the University's commitment to sustainability and understands how critical it is for us when constructing new facilities to ensure that they not only serve the needs of our student-athletes, but also are environmentally friendly," said Loyola Director of Athletics Steve Watson. "To earn the USG NACDA Sustainability Award is truly an honor and is a result of the collaborative effort of so many departments on our campus."
 
The award was designed to recognize NACDA member institutions across all divisions, honoring athletics directors and their universities for incorporating sustainable practices and materials into their athletics facilities. A six-person committee consisting of athletics directors across the country and representatives from USG and NACDA aided in selecting Loyola as this year's award winner.
 
Loyola will receive $40,000 in USG product as the winner of the Sustainability Award. The other two finalists, Florida Gulf Coast University and South Dakota State University, will each win $10,000 each in USG product, for use toward any athletics or academic facility to recognize their sustainable efforts.
 
"Congratulations to Loyola University Chicago for being selected as the winner of the Fifth Annual USG NACDA Sustainability Award for the Alfie Norville Practice Facility," said USG Vice President, Corporate Accounts, John Lindsay. "USG is proud to support the efforts of colleges and universities across the U.S. in their efforts to build sustainably and hope this award encourages more organizations to focus on their own sustainability practices."
 
"A well-rounded student-athlete should be a product of a well-rounded athletics facility, and that is exactly what Loyola Chicago has provided with the Alfie Norville Practice Facility," said NACDA Chief Executive Officer Bob Vecchione. "The University's dedication to its movement towards carbon neutrality over the next five years is a profound step in the right direction for college athletics construction, and one we are proud to honor with the fifth installment of the Sustainability Award."
 
In 2009, Loyola University Chicago embarked on a strategic plan to drive the institution's progress through 2020. In keeping with the strategic plan's goals of providing a premier undergraduate experience, the university launched Reimagine, a campaign to revitalize the student community at its Lake Shore Campus focused around an ambitious, phased building project to elevate sports, recreation, and athletics facilities as well as to centralize student life offerings for the campus. The 389,484-square-foot Lake Shore Campus Sports and Recreation Complex, constructed from 2011 – 2019, features state-of-the-art athletics facilities combined with a new student center and student life support spaces. Located at the center of campus, the new complex has become a hub for student activity, wellness, and collegiality, exemplifying Loyola University Chicago's mission to deliver a transformative educational experience that develops the whole person through an integrated curricular and co-curricular program. These efforts support the university's commitment to carbon neutrality by 2025 through aggressive energy efficiency and high-performing new construction. Loyola developed the complex to integrate athletics with centralized student life offerings, while serving as a recruitment tool and offering support services to ensure their success.