Berry Celebrates Past and Future with Founder's Day, Grand Opening for Cage Center

      Berry College will celebrate a Founder's Day like no other in its 106-year history Friday, Jan. 25, with the grand opening of the Steven J. Cage Athletic and Recreation Center. This 131,000 square-foot facility is named for Indianapolis entrepreneur Steve Cage, an alumnus of Berry who now serves on the Berry College Board of Trustees.
      Rising impressively as the most prominent building on the college’s main campus, the Cage Center provides a state-of-the-art home for Berry's thriving intercollegiate and intramural sports programs. Highlights include a nearly 2,000-seat intercollegiate sports arena that can be converted into three recreational courts for basketball and volleyball. Floor seating increases capacity by several hundred, making the venue suitable for concerts, convocations, major speakers and other events.
      Additional features include two racquetball courts, an eight-lane pool with observation seating, a multipurpose court, kinesiology and exercise science classrooms, a complete fitness center, multipurpose rooms for aerobics and other student activities, athletic training facilities, offices, locker rooms and a Hall of Berry Sports History named for Berry sports pioneers Garland and Edward Dickey.
      "A dream come true at last – that's the only way to describe it," said Berry President Stephen R. Briggs. "The Ford Gymnasium has served us ably for nearly 80 years, but now it is time for the Cage to take center stage. The Cage reshapes and strengthens the central pathways of the campus. It provides students with a wonderful place to work, play and learn beyond what is available on the remaining 26,000 acres of our campus. We are thrilled that Steve Cage and others who helped bring this dream to life will be on hand to celebrate the grand opening."
      Mr. Cage will be the featured speaker during a 3:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony that will mark the official opening of the building. It was his gift – described as "transformational" when it was announced in January 2005 – that helped initiate fundraising for the $32.5 million facility. Gifts and pledges in support of the Cage Center now stand at more than $18 million, and college leaders have set a goal of June 2009 to complete funding.
      "It is humbling to look up and see the Cage name on this wonderful building," Mr. Cage said. "This truly has been a team effort, and I want to express my thanks to each and every person who has worked so diligently to bring this project to fruition."
      A 1974 alumnus of Berry, Mr. Cage has gone on to great success as founder and chairman of the board of Product Action International LLC, the leading provider of quality improvement services for the automotive industry. He also works on behalf of his alma mater as a member of the Berry College Board of Trustees.
      "My experiences as a student at Berry dramatically influenced the person I am and what I have been able to accomplish," Mr Cage stated. "My desire is for today's students to have the same type of transformational experience. It is for that reason that I supported this project so enthusiastically and will continue to work on behalf of Berry students.
      "Berry students have always been at the heart of this project," he continued. "This facility provides exceptional recreation, athletic, fitness and learning opportunities that complement our fabulous campus and other educational venues. It will enhance the Berry experience even as it creates a center for the campus community. That it will bring great fun and joy to our students is icing on the cake."
      Fittingly, the grand opening is being held in conjunction with Founder's Day, the annual celebration of the institution's 1902 founding by Martha Berry. This year's service will be held at 2 p.m. in the Berry College Chapel. The featured speaker is Berry alumna Susan J. Bandy, author of The Viking Tradition: 100 Years of Sport at Berry College.
      Both Founder's Day and the 3:30 p.m. ribbon cutting are open to the public, as is an open house scheduled for 4-6 p.m. The ribbon-cutting will be streamed live via the Internet at www.berry.edu/webcast.
      The Berry basketball teams will make their Cage Center debut Thursday, Jan. 31.

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