The Runner Staff
Phase I is complete and the Kegley Center for Student Success is now open and providing CSU Bakersfield students with the resources they need to be successful.
It has been a plan CSUB philosophy professor Jacquelyn Kegley and Athletics Director Kenneth Siegfried have talked about for four years.
The facility will give a study space, tutoring and healthy nutrition for student athletes at CSUB.
The Kegley Center for Student Success is where the old University Grill was on the west side of campus, near Faculty Towers.
On Jan. 11, CSUB had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to show off the changes and renovations that were made to the center.
“It has been really nice to see it come together,” Siegfried said. “I look back at 2013, I can remember talking to Dr. Kegley about this, and she was the one who came to me and said, ‘you know Ziggy, I think student athletes need a dedicated space just because of their unique schedules.’”
Kegley didn’t stop there with bringing the plan to Siegfried she also provided the money for the initial funding of the space.
“I had traveled to these other college campuses that had these centers for student athletes and we have farmed out different rooms, and I just said we should be supporting these students,” said Kegley. “I said we should really find a space for them where teams can meet together. It was my idea… but then I put my money where my mouth was.”
Kegley donated $200,000 in March 2013 and continued contributing every year after that.
Through the $800,000 grant CSUB received from the NCAA on July 2015 and other smaller donations, Phase I of the Kegley Center was completed.
“It’s a dream come true,” Kegley said. “It’s not often you get an idea and it becomes real.”
Kegley said the center is for all students not just student athletes.
Siegfried said Phase I of the scheduled three-phase plan included taking them from 1,200 square-foot facility into a 7,500 square-foot facility, provided two computer labs, an area for nutrition, study space area and offices.
“This is a necessary space for athletes to be able to come work on studies at basically any time,” said Siegfried. “It provides our students with a lot more resources to succeed.”
Siegfried said the center is open early in the morning and stays open until 9 p.m.
The first Student Success Center was opened in April of 2013.
The Kegley Center was a 1,500 square-foot facility, which offered study halls, tutoring and academic advising for student athletes. However, it was quickly outgrown.
“The facility was only large enough to accommodate 30 students at a time,” said Dennis Cassidy, graduate assistant for athletics. “Now, the new facility will be able to serve approximately 120 athletes at a time.”
Siegfried said one thing they need to be able to grow is nutrition for student athletes.
“We need to continue to enhance [food] options,” said Siegfried. “Options for them at the Kegley Center that they can eat throughout the day.”
He said CSUB student athletes have a very hectic schedule, and typically, athletes are up before dawn and finished with the first practice of the day by 8 a.m., then they clean up and eat breakfast, and then it’s on to classes until 1 to 2 p.m.
Mid-afternoon is the second practice of the day for many teams, with more classes after that.
Kegley said it is important to provide the proper nutrition to all students.
“In having good solid food, it really helps and they expend a lot of physical energy, so it makes it more important,” she said. “It’s very important to our program. I think the whole university is concerned about [students’ nutrition]. It shouldn’t just be about your mind, your bodies are important, too.”
Siegfried said student athletes don’t have much time to get something nutritious to eat.
