INFORMATION FOR
Calling all WP Pioneer alumni and friends! As part of its $1.5 million Pioneering Champions Campaign in support of the renovation and expansion of the athletics fieldhouse, the William Paterson University Foundation is offering naming opportunities for lockers in the facility, set to be completed by fall 2024.
“We have 210 fieldhouse lockers to be named, and they are going quickly,” says Pamela Ferguson, vice president for institutional advancement and president of the William Paterson University Foundation. “Our goal is to have each locker named and we are grateful to alumni, parents, coaches, and WP community members who have already taken the #PioneerLockerChallenge and lent their support.”
Among those alumni are Kitty Black Sausa ’72 and Vince Sausa ’73, both of whom were Pioneer student-athletes. “Kitty, having played softball and me having played soccer and baseball, we both know the importance of having a top-notch facility for the players and coaches,” says Vince Sausa. “Naming a locker is a great way to not only support athletics at William Paterson, but to support the University as a whole!”
Stephen Bovo Jr. ’13 was the first alumnus to name a locker. “My 4 years at WP created lifelong friendships, memories, and lessons, so when the opportunity came up to give back to the University, I made sure to act immediately,” he says. “I believe that with this new fieldhouse, WP athletics will be more competitive on and off the field. I’m grateful to be a part of a new future for the Pioneers.”
The fieldhouse will include the Alan J. Anderson ’81 Baseball Locker Room, as well as lockers for the football, softball, field hockey, women’s soccer, and women’s tennis teams.
All WP student-athletes will have access to the fieldhouse and all of its amenities, including the Stephen Adzima ’75 Strength and Conditioning Center, which will feature strength training and cardio areas. A $250,000 lead donation from Adzima, a former Pioneer football player, was announced during Homecoming and Family Day 2023; the gift established an endowed fund for ongoing support of the fieldhouse project.
Alumni and friends are invited to partner with a family member or former teammate to name a locker together. The naming amount for a locker is $1,500, which can be paid in full or over a year.
Interested in taking the #PioneerLockerChallenge? More information can be found here. Additional fieldhouse naming opportunities are still available; for information, click here.
