CLEVELAND  – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USG Corporation (NYSE: USG) have selected the three finalists for the fifth annual USG NACDA Sustainability Award. The announcement was made at the 54^th Annual NACDA Convention in Orlando, Florida.
 
The Sustainability Award will be presented in the fall, at an on-campus event hosted by the winning institution. The award was designed to recognize NACDA member institutions across all divisions, honoring athletics directors and their universities for incorporating sustainable practices and materials into their athletics facilities. A six-person committee consisting of athletics directors across the country and representatives from USG and NACDA will help choose this year's award winner.
 
The finalists for the Sustainability Award are:

• Florida Gulf Coast University
• Loyola University Chicago
• South Dakota State University 

The winning school, to be announced later this summer, will receive $40,000 in USG product, and second and third place will win $10,000 each in USG product, for use toward any athletics or academic facility at the selected institution.
 
"Congratulations to all three finalists for the 2019 USG NACDA Sustainability Award. USG is proud to partner with NACDA to support the member institutions' continuous efforts to integrate and apply sustainable designs into their campus facilities," said USG Vice President, Corporate Accounts John Lindsay. "These efforts create a sustainable future not only for students and faculty but the surrounding communities also. This award is a strong reflection of our own corporate commitment to reducing the environmental impact of the built environment by manufacturing sustainable, efficient and eco-friendly products and solutions."
 
"For the last five years, the USG NACDA Sustainability Award has shined a light on some of the best all-around facilities in college athletics," said NACDA Chief Executive Officer Bob Vecchione. "The sustainable impact these facilities have is just as impressive as their overall design and functionality. The environment, the institutions and college athletics as a whole are better as a result of these facilities."
 
Below are descriptions of the three facilities that earned these institutions recognition as finalists for the USG NACDA Sustainability Award.
 
Florida Gulf Coast University
Project: W. Bernard & Elaine Lester Athletics Administrative Complex
Architect: Parker/Mudgett/Smith Architects, Inc.
Completion Date: August 2017
In August 2017, Phase 1 of Alico Arena's Expansion was completed at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers, Fla. The project added new basketball coaches and development offices, a state-of-the-art theatre and the Hartley Academic Resource Center. Additionally, the sports medicine training was expanded into the new Schreiner Sports Medicine Center. This project incorporated several sustainability initiatives, such as utilizing all LED lighting, maximizing daylight views and maximizing insulation on the building envelope beyond code regulations. Additionally, FGCU utilizes "daylight harvesting" in its lighting system, where any of the spaces with windows have sensors that monitor light levels and automatically dim the lights as the daylight levels increase. Furthermore, sun shade devices were added to the southern facing windows to reduce the solar heat gain.
 
Loyola University Chicago
Project: Alfie Norville Practice Facility
Architect: SCB
RDG Planning and Design
Elara Engineering
Power Construction
Completion Date: July 2019
In 2009, Loyola University Chicago embarked on a strategic plan to drive the institution's progress through 2020. In keeping with the strategic plan's goals of providing a premier undergraduate experience, the university launched Reimagine, a campaign to revitalize the student community at its Lake Shore Campus focused around an ambitious, phased building project to elevate sports, recreation, and athletics facilities as well as to centralize student life offerings for the campus. The 389,484-square-foot Lake Shore Campus Sports and Recreation Complex, constructed from 2011 – 2019, features state-of-the-art athletics facilities combined with a new student center and student life support spaces. Located at the center of campus, the new complex has become a hub for student activity, wellness, and collegiality, exemplifying Loyola University Chicago's mission to deliver a transformative educational experience that develops the whole person through an integrated curricular and co-curricular program. These efforts support the university's commitment to carbon neutrality by 2025 through aggressive energy efficiency and high-performing new construction. Loyola developed the complex to integrate athletics with centralized student life offerings, while serving as a recruitment tool and offering support services to ensure their success.
 
South Dakota State University
Project: Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
Architect: Architecture Incorporated, Sioux Falls, SD
Crawford Architects, Kansas City, MO
Completion Date: September 2016
Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota is the home of South Dakota State University's FCS football team and is seeking LEED Silver Certification. Opened in the fall of 2016, the stadium is a premier outdoor venue, seating up to 20,000 fans. By building on the former stadium's site, existing infrastructure was used. Site selection effortlessly links the stadium to the rest of campus with sidewalks, bike racks, and existing parking. North parking lots remain unpaved, reducing the heat island effect and controlling storm water runoff. The curtain wall on the west side of the premier spaces features sprawling views of campus while daylighting studies were performed to maximize solar exposure to the seating bowl and field. Concourses are shielded from harsh western winds and were designed for easy winterization. As the final phase of SDSU's new outdoor sports complex, connectivity of the stadium to the Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center (Phase 1 – LEED Gold) and the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex (Phase 2 – LEED Silver) creates a hub for 550+ student-athletes to learn, train, heal, and perform. Homage is paid to South Dakota and previous home of the Jackrabbits, Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, by incorporating regionally-sourced, repurposed, reclaimed, and recycled-content materials.
 
About USG:  USG Corporation is an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions. Headquartered in Chicago, USG serves construction markets around the world through its United States Gypsum Company and USG Interiors, LLCsubsidiaries and its international subsidiaries, including its USG Boral Building Products joint venture. Its wall, ceiling, flooring, sheathing and roofing products provide the solutions that enable customers to build the outstanding spaces where people live, work and play. Its USG Boral Building Products joint venture is a leading plasterboard and ceilings producer across Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. For additional information, visit www.usg.com.
 
About NACDA: NACDA, now in its 54^th year, is the professional and educational Association for more than 15,700 college athletics administrators at more than 1,700 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 6,500 athletics administrators annually attend NACDA & Affiliates Convention Week. Additionally, NACDA manages 17 professional associations and three foundations. For more information on NACDA, visit www.nacda.com.