The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletic Communications.
Ames, Iowa – A $5M gift from the Kirk and Rae Malcolm family, coupled with today’s initial approval from the Iowa Board of Regents, will allow Iowa State’s Department of Athletics to move forward with the planning of a transformational project for its wrestling and track & field programs, Cyclone Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced.
“We are grateful for the Malcolm family’s generosity in supporting our student-athletes’ quest for academic and athletic excellence, and for the Board of Regents allowing us to advance our planning for this important project,” Pollard said. “Iowa State is fortunate to have tremendous individuals leading our wrestling and track programs in Kevin Dresser and Jeremy Sudbury, and this transformational gift from the Malcolm family was given in large part because of the donor’s belief in the vision our coaches have cast for their programs.”
The proposed project, which will be named in honor of the Malcolm family, will renovate approximately 45,000-square feet of existing space within in the Lied Recreation Athletic Center and construct approximately 16,000-square feet of new space with an addition to the building’s Southeast corner. The project will expand and collocate facilities used by the wrestling and track programs to include new weight rooms, locker rooms, team lounges, sports medicine areas, meeting areas and coaches locker rooms. It will also create a separate entrance to the facility for use by Cyclone student athletes, athletics department staff, and visitors to the wrestling and track programs.
“The state-of-the-art Malcolm Performance Center will touch the lives of more than 100 of our student-athletes on a daily basis and greatly enhance their Cyclone experience,” Pollard said. “The Lied Recreation Athletic Center has served our student-athletes well, however, this renovation and new addition will allow our wrestling and track teams to remain competitive nationally.”
Currently, about two-thirds of the 236,000-square foot Lied Recreation Athletic Center is used by ISU’s Department of Recreation Services while athletics utilizes the remaining space. As part of the new project, the departments will exchange some space to improve adjacencies for both departments. The total space currently allocated to ISU’s Department of Recreation Services will not decrease due to the project.
Kirk Malcolm earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State in 1968, and is a partner in Shepard International, Inc. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta as an undergraduate, and supports ISU’s College of Engineering through the Malcolm Family Scholarship, which honors students within the college with a preference given to residents of Iowa’s Northwest corner. In addition, they have also supported the Marston Hall renovation, naming the Malcolm Conference Room on the main ground floor hallway.
An ISU Foundation Governor Emeritus, Kirk is a lifetime member of the Iowa State University Alumni Association. He and his wife, Rae have been married for 51 years, and have three children and six grandchildren.
The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025 and will cost between $20-25M, which will be paid through additional fundraising and athletic department revenues.
“While we still have some work to do before getting this project underway, the momentum generated from the Malcolm’s generous gift will go a long way toward getting us to the finish line, and making a positive impact on our student-athletes in these sports,” Pollard said.
