Forever Green Campaign: Student Life

Amount raised for the Student Life campaign component:
$14,026,191

Northwest students are forever achieving in and out of the classroom.

The Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse strengthens Northwest’s championship culture while providing student groups and community organizations with needed space to learn and prosper.

One of the most ambitious goals of the Forever Green campaign was the $21 million Hughes Fieldhouse. Donors provided more than $14 million in support, and additional support from students and the city of Maryville led to its opening in 2018 as the largest public-private project in the region’s history.

Thanks to generous contributions from the Hughes Family Foundation, the facility is named for Carl ’76 and Cheryl Deweerdt ’78 Hughes and located near College Park and Bearcat athletics facilities.

The 137,250-square-foot multipurpose facility features recreation and exhibition space, a 90-yard practice field, a 300-meter indoor competition track, practice tennis courts, spectator seating and tiered meeting rooms. Already in its short lifespan, the building has hosted Bearcat Marching Band rehearsals, indoor track and field meets, career fairs, student orientation activities and COVID-19 vaccine clinics, among a plethora of other activities, including the culminating celebration of the Forever Green campaign. The project also launched improvements to Northwest’s tennis facility, now named the Frank W. Grube Courts at the Mark Rosewell Tennis Center.

The Hughes Fieldhouse is fulfilling its stated goals of promoting health and wellness, providing a competitive advantage, enhancing recruitment and strengthening economic development.

The Founding 50 is a group of leadership donors, giving $50,000 and greater, who partnered with the University to make the Hughes Fieldhouse a reality.