Hale Center Changes Article
- Thread starter HeavenUniv.
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Has Rutgers ever thought of offering a tour of the Hale Center and/or football complex? I would think that there may be some die-hards that would be into it. They could charge a nominal fee (maybe $5 or something) and earn some extra money that way. You could have one staff member take them through the tour when they run it.
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anon_ivydyf0amkzay
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I like JH's comments...the big ten was a BIG on ramp for Rutgers...meaning...whoa! this was as big and daunting a task as it seemed from day 1. When you actually think about it, we went from essentially nothing to the big ten; which is like AA to the Bigs! RU should be proud of how it did (overall) considering how far behind the 8 ball we have been...
I really do think JH is going to accomplish SPECTACULAR things while our AD; plus she can handle the media bitches without much fear!
I really do think JH is going to accomplish SPECTACULAR things while our AD; plus she can handle the media bitches without much fear!
TrueRU,
Not only would I like to see that, I would like to see the university have campus tours for schools at various age levels-not just high school kids. Make them age appropriate--4th grade,6th grade,8th grade. The university REALLY needs to get the population of New Jersey more familiar with the campus. I am hoping once the air conditioning is in,The RAC will be used more for concerts,trade shows,exhibits,sporting events in the Summer,etc. AND,if the town of Piscataway would stop being such poopys (sorry for the language),maybe we could start having concerts at the stadium. I am not saying bring in a six hour show of Megadeath,but something that will bring in a good crowd,make us some extra money,not cause any damage, and bring in a broader variety of people from around the state.
Not only would I like to see that, I would like to see the university have campus tours for schools at various age levels-not just high school kids. Make them age appropriate--4th grade,6th grade,8th grade. The university REALLY needs to get the population of New Jersey more familiar with the campus. I am hoping once the air conditioning is in,The RAC will be used more for concerts,trade shows,exhibits,sporting events in the Summer,etc. AND,if the town of Piscataway would stop being such poopys (sorry for the language),maybe we could start having concerts at the stadium. I am not saying bring in a six hour show of Megadeath,but something that will bring in a good crowd,make us some extra money,not cause any damage, and bring in a broader variety of people from around the state.
Actually I do. I have toured governors, senators, HHS leaders, mayors, scientists, high school and college students.
So mostly either important people or people who can grow the business? RU football already does this.....to be honest, I was busting balls. As fans, sometimes we forget that real work is happening there. I had the chance to get a tour of A Pac12 teams facilities recently, sat in on meetings, met HC etc. Despite the niceties, I'm sure it was a pain to everyone who had to stop their day to make believe they cared.
Thanks for the post. When we had the Fan Appreciation Board meeting the other night when I got into the Hale Center someone was nice enough to hold the elevator so I ran to catch it. On the way out when the elevator door open I only then realized the whole lobby area was ripped out.
I think most people know you can visit the lobby area when the Center is open and it was real nice so I imagine the upgrade will be nicer. And TrueRU I will send a suggestion to Geoff Brown asking to offer tours to season ticket holder. I think it might have been brought up at last meeting but I will check.
I think most people know you can visit the lobby area when the Center is open and it was real nice so I imagine the upgrade will be nicer. And TrueRU I will send a suggestion to Geoff Brown asking to offer tours to season ticket holder. I think it might have been brought up at last meeting but I will check.
We do actually do tours! I've seen multiple school tours when I happened to be on college avenue. Often they go through Alexander Library. Thought it would be nice to see it as a formal program.
The hallways are fantastic and create a special mood and feeling. Having seen some of the plans and mock up of the lobby all I can say is that it puts Rutgers on par with facilities and atmosphere of many other top ptogrsms and schools. The people who have designed the improvements are among those who have done similar work at other universities. And as noted the funding is all from private sources. Nothing is from the Athletic Department/Football budget. Julie along with Kyle and a handful of other key fund raising people have done a fantastic job in putting this together and getting it done. This is an excellent example of moving forward in the B1G and the best D1 program arena.
It is also nice to note that in other areas at the University there are similar positive "big time" things taking place. The new Honors Program complex is another area that deserves special mention. Here again Rutgers now has moved forward with the ability to attract, recruit and accomodate the best students not only in NJ but nationwide. Rutgers needs to get more positive PR out as to what this means to everyone. Perhaps some billboards of this on at the least our own property highlighting the new Honors Complex can educate the people in NJ better as well as those in Trenton. Speaking of tours....perhaps getting the members of the State legislature and several of the top business and corporate leaders on campus to see what has been done and is available to encourage and attract (and yes recruit) top students to Rutgers and to stay at home in NJ. If there is not a plan for this there certainly needs to be one put into place. It would be nice to see a front page story in the SL and other NJ papers featuring this as well as in other media areas. The video that appeared elsewhere on this forum is just a snipit if what can and is being done.
Maybe if Barchi put in place a full scale effort to get the funds needed to improve Rutgers PR simular to what Julie has done thru private sources the image of the University would be greatly enhanced..especially in NJ itself.
It is also nice to note that in other areas at the University there are similar positive "big time" things taking place. The new Honors Program complex is another area that deserves special mention. Here again Rutgers now has moved forward with the ability to attract, recruit and accomodate the best students not only in NJ but nationwide. Rutgers needs to get more positive PR out as to what this means to everyone. Perhaps some billboards of this on at the least our own property highlighting the new Honors Complex can educate the people in NJ better as well as those in Trenton. Speaking of tours....perhaps getting the members of the State legislature and several of the top business and corporate leaders on campus to see what has been done and is available to encourage and attract (and yes recruit) top students to Rutgers and to stay at home in NJ. If there is not a plan for this there certainly needs to be one put into place. It would be nice to see a front page story in the SL and other NJ papers featuring this as well as in other media areas. The video that appeared elsewhere on this forum is just a snipit if what can and is being done.
Maybe if Barchi put in place a full scale effort to get the funds needed to improve Rutgers PR simular to what Julie has done thru private sources the image of the University would be greatly enhanced..especially in NJ itself.
I got to see this during the 7 on 7 camp. The hallways were cool and the gigapixel mural of the crowd after nova 's TD vs psu is awesome
I agree I was just busting back. I think it goes a long way to open your doors. Everytime we bring a high school or college science program in for a STEM or ISPE type event, I wonder where this was in NJ when I was growing up. Field
Trips in my high school were to Rahway state prison, six flags, and nothing steering kids towards one of NJ big institutions or professions in Pharma
My wife works at Robert Wood and had an hour of training to do last month so I grabbed both kids and jumped in the car with her to kill a few hours in New Brunswick. We dropped my wife off and had two hours to kill so I figured I would take the kids over to the Hale Center to see the lobby, trophies etc and perhaps with a bit of luck, see if tours were offered. When we arrived we quickly noticed the lobby had been emptied so I asked a very nice lady working the desk about tours. She said no of course but in seeing my two young ones took an ounce of pity on us and suggested that instead of turning right around and using the front door again we could walk past her and the weight room and exit via a side door. We took her up on it and I`m glad we did because the players were in the middle of a lifting session, music was blaring and coach Cole was blowing airhorns. In a stroke of luck we walked past Turay and Applefield and actually had the good fortune of having Darius Hamilton approach us. I recognized him immediately and told my kids to say hello and thank Mr. Hamilton for staying home to play for RU. They were star struck and if they were not already fans it was an experience that would have created two fans for life. Moral of the story is tours are a brilliant idea.
And if Ryan Hart is there there will be a lawsuit to take a cut of the money. But more seriously. If they opened it up 1-day a year for openhouse/tours, charges even $10., they could use the proceeds for stipends....maybe the day of the spring game? Call it the ViP tour ore something. I dont think having it regularly open would generate the volume needed.
It is part of the plans when they expand it.
There will be an open to the public arena with a gift shop, etc.
There will be an open to the public arena with a gift shop, etc.
Please stop with the idea of charging people for a tour. This is not a museum but a public institution of higher education etc. We want people to come and to impress them with what Rutgers has to offer and with some positive public relations. It's often not about the the money but the good will.
i do not care if they choose to charge a fee, leave a tip jar or do nothing from a $ perspective.
JUST OPEN THE DAM DOORS! The university and athletic programs should always be selling themselves to student, donors, alumni, corporations, etc.
This is a good thread and I have one more story to add to it. Two years ago, my friend a big Oklahoma fan (I know I know) was heading to OU for his first ever game with another guy. He contacted the athletic dept just to see if there was any info to be gleaned regarding tours etc. Now I know what happened next cant be commonplace even at a factory like OU but someone from the AD immediately returned his call and told him to start taking pics from Newark airport to document the visit and to see a person connected with the program upon arrival. Turns out OU decided to use two NJ guys and big fans of the program as a PR campaign. They were given VERY detailed tours of the complex right down to the coaches office itself. They met Barry Switzer and many big names connected with the program past and present. They were given field passes to be on the field during pregame warmups and seats next to the tunnel during the game. Needless to say the experience was memorable but it is an example of what a well run AD will do in going the extra mile from a PR standpoint. Most impressive.
They do offer tours...but those are generally for top $$$ boosters...as $$$ offer access and showing off facilities is one way to thank them for their support.
Top boosters bring in a lot more $$$ than $5 admission fee.
I have taken a couple of friends to Rutgers games in the past, and always went to the Hale Center before entering the stadium, until a few years ago when they stopped that practice. For them to see all the trophies and players in the NFL was eye opening to them. It should be a selling point to the program, and used for public viewing whenever possible. We have a culture of young Pop Warner kids that need to be sold on Rutgers in anyway possible. Before I worked for USPS, I fixed copiers for 10 years and Rutgers was part of my territory.I always told my 2 young sons what a great school it was, and what a great place it was to get an education. Both my sons graduated from Rutgers, one a Civil Engineer, and the other a Finance Degree. Both got great jobs in their chosen field, and were hired because the powers that be, were also Rutgers grads. I never understood the mentality of going out of state unless you couldn't find a in state school that offered your major. The networking for getting a job in your area, is so much easier when hiring personal know the school you graduated from, and how good an education you got there.
