Northern nears goal on football stadium project

Montana State University-Northern's Chancellor Greg Kegel announced today that Northern has secured $2.2 million for phase 1 of Project Stadium in only nine months.

"The announcement is, we are 80 percent ready to begin Phase 1, and 80 percent puts us at the 20-yard line, which is the red zone," Kegel said.

Kegel announced in 2016 he wanted to build a home for the Northern Lights football team, which has used the Havre High School Blue Pony stadium for home games since the football program was brought back last decade.

Kegel has said his long-range goal is to add to the stadium, creating a multi-use sports complex.

But his announcement today was for Phase 1, the stadium itself.

Kegel said today that the university, donors, and the Northern Alumni Foundation are trying to get that $2.2 million to around $3 million, so that they can do the complete Phase 1 construction the way the university wants it, and that is game-day ready.

Fundraising efforts launched last January  in support of the new on-campus sports complex. 

Kegel said that Gloria and Mike Tilleman kicked the campaign off with a $400,000 gift and Frances Baltrusch of Havre  gave a gift of $500,000. 

The Northern Alumni Foundation said her gift is one of the largest from an individual supporter in Northern's 90-year history.

Kegel added that Independence Bank gave a $150,000 donation, Northern Lights Athletic Foundation gave a six-figure gift and the Northern Alumni Foundation gave a six figure gift as well.

"Our whole strength as a campus comes from the student," Kegel said. " ... There is a critical mass that makes Northern work, and through the years we've struggled, as the other units in the university have, in enrollment.  I'm asking everyone who is involved on our campus to go deeper and throw the net wider, and that's working as we are getting more transfer students and more students."

Northern announced Friday that, this year, it saw its first fall enrollment increase in several years.

Kegel said that in order to get more students the university has to have more amenities, and the stadium campaign was based on initiatives such as improving the quality of student life and offering things that students expect when they come to Northern.

"This is just one project that is going to get Northern stabilized, with the numbers we need to make it function right, and that's what this project is about," Kegel said. "Of course, I love football, I love my Lights and I want our Lights to have to same the same type of amenities the schools in our conference have."

He added that it is not only going to help Head Football Coach Andrew Rolin recruit players, but also is going to improve the ability to bring students for all the programs, not just the students who are associated with football.

"It is a big day," Kegel said. 

Watch for more in Monday’s edition of the Havre Daily News.