From Vision to Reality

What’s rising on campus is proof of what your generosity can do.

Something extraordinary is rising at Regent University. Because of generous friends like you, a growing sense of anticipation is sweeping across campus. That anticipation is, literally, rising out of the ground, as construction of the university’s new Athletic & Fitness Center (AFC) heads toward the finish line.

The 31-acre sports complex’s main structure — a 2,000-seat NCAA championship arena with a weight room and fitness center, a café and student lounge, and a sports-medicine clinic — is taking shape, as work also progresses on the outdoor athletic facilities. With a targeted completion date of Fall 2027, enthusiasm has been building through every phase of construction.

“The excitement across campus is ramping up,” says Michael Allen, Regent’s Executive Director of Athletics. “With the arena coming out of the ground, the progress has generated anticipation that these much-needed facilities will be a reality in less than a year from now.”
Behind the steel and concrete is something far more significant: your generosity is shaping this project one wall, foundation, and beam at a time.

“You truly are investing in the students,” says Dr. Jeffrey Ganthner, the university’s Architect-in-Residence and an Associate Professor, who’s been working on Regent building projects for decades. “You’re also investing to change the world. You’re making an impact.”

Visually, that impact is already taking shape.

A Vision Rising From the Ground

Ganthner says approximately 90% of the underground work has been completed. The main building and athletic stadiums are “going vertical” with most of the structural steel complete and the exterior walls rising to fully enclose the buildings. The baseball and softball stadiums also have started construction.

“By mid-December,” he explains, “you’ll be able to see an enclosed athletic building, along with the stadium.”
Next will come other architectural details to give the entire complex its distinctive Regent character.

Facilities Specialist Sam Brownell has been working with Virginia Beach officials on the detailed permitting process and with construction teams building the main complex and stadium. He says key plumbing, electrical, and other underground infrastructure have been in place for months.

“The AFC is a pivotal change for the university,” Brownell insists. “This complex provides more than athletics. It gives the entire student body a place to hang out, work out, eat, and commune together.”

Much More Than Sports

The AFC will profoundly impact the Regent Royals athletic program, paving the way for new sports teams. Also, the complex will increase fitness opportunities and meaningful fellowship for everyone at the university.

Gabrielle Butler, who competes in women’s cross country and track & field says the complex will be a “gamechanger” for Royals student-athletes: “Having these new facilities will definitely help eliminate long travel to off-campus practice sites and save valuable time for our academics.”

Thomas Slingluff, a member of the men’s cross country and track & field teams, sees an even broader effect: “Having these facilities on campus will give us more time to focus on training, academics, and building relationships with our teammates and the rest of the Regent community. I also think the AFC will bring greater unity between athletes and the student body by making it much easier for students to attend games and support our teams.”

Your generosity empowers much more than a collegiate athletic program. Your support creates an environment where every student’s God-given gifts can be developed alongside their faith and character.

“Most significantly,” Slingluff insists, “I believe the AFC will be an avenue for Regent to reach more and more people with the gospel and to share the love of Christ with our community.”

“Any gift you contribute, please know you are making an eternal impact,” Allen says. “By having these facilities, it will attract even more prospective students and athletes who choose to partner with Regent to ultimately go out into the world and be a light for Jesus Christ and to live out the mission of this extraordinary university.”

Thank you for being one of the heroes making this possible. Because of you, Regent is rising — one mission, one student, one education, and one future Christian leader at a time.