UNLV ATHLETICS AND THE ANDRE AGASSI FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION LAUNCH LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP
Strategic relationship to advance student-athlete excellence through education
Two key Las Vegas community stakeholders, the UNLV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, have entered into a strategic partnership to further elevate education as the root of lifelong success for UNLV’s student-athletes. To advance this important mission, the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education will make a major financial investment in UNLV Athletics. The commitment is one of the most substantial ever in support of student-athlete success for the athletics department.
Known globally for its transformational work, the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education invests in opportunities aligned with the vision of its founder – renowned tennis star, entrepreneur and proud Las Vegan Andre Agassi.
“This is not something that we do without careful evaluation and scrutiny,” notes Andre Agassi Foundation for Education founder and namesake Andre Agassi, “but we see a unique chance here with a partner of great integrity in UNLV Athletics. The intersection of athletics and academics, through the Excellence Center, is something that Stefanie and I are very passionate about. The results will be tangible and life-changing.”
Andre Agassi Foundation for Education President and CEO Steve Miller pinpointed alignment as an essential success factor. “We are excited about the vision and leadership within the athletics department at UNLV,” notes Miller, “and we are proud to put our name behind something that personifies what we represent.”
Funding from the Agassi Foundation will accelerate the athletics department’s renovation of the Lied Athletic Complex and the eventual development, within the facility, of the Center for Student-Athlete Excellence. “This tremendous gift will initiate essential improvements to the Lied,” notes UNLV Director of Athletics Desiree Reed-Francois, “while accelerating our overall project timeline for the Excellence Center. It will also advance key programs, such as our growing emphasis on nutrition, critical to student-athlete success.”
The Excellence Center will provide holistic support services to the entire UNLV student-athlete population. Concentration areas will include academic enrichment, career services, nutrition, psychological services, sport-science and community outreach.
“We are sincerely honored and humbled by this incredible investment from the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education,” Reed-Francois concludes. “Most importantly, it signifies the start of a long term partnership with an esteemed organization centered on our common mission of education.”
The Andre Agassi Foundation for Education has been a longtime UNLV benefactor supporting scholarships through the UNLV Foundation. This commitment, however, provides a platform for unprecedented impact.