DENVER - The University of Denver Division of Athletics and Recreation officially dedicated the newest addition to the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness – the Diane Wendt Sports Fields. The fields are named for long-time DU Athletics administrator and current Director of Strategic Partnerships and Corporate Relations Diane T. Wendt. The lead gift for the project was made possible by University of Denver Board of Trustees Chair Emerita and longtime Athletics and Recreation supporter Joy S. Burns.
“I can think of few people that have given so much of their life to this institution as Diane Wendt,” DU Chancellor Robert Coombe said. “If you think about what has been accomplished by her, if you think about the growth of athletics at DU, and think about women’s athletics in particular, you think about her relationship with so many students, and how her glowing persona has impacted so many lives. It is just such a fitting and satisfying thing to name these sports fields after Diane Wendt.”
The Diane Wendt Sports Fields cover and extend the practice field facility to provide year-round green space for varsity athletic programs, club sports and the general student body. The field space also has the capability of hosting events during the evening hours with the inclusion of lighting components throughout the new project. Additionally, digital scoreboards and other enhancements make for a first-class experience for all who frequent the facility.
“Diane Wendt has always found a way to get the things she has needed done in order to better the opportunity for the young women to improve this University and other Universities as well,” Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus Joy Burns said. “She has been a mentor to more young women than any human being I have ever known.”
For the general student-body open space issues have long been a topic for discussion and debate within the student government and the club sport community. The addition of the Diane Wendt Sports Fields now brings the University of Denver more into parity with many of its peer institutions. Most have at least one dedicated field for general use, while a few have multiple fields within a similar campus square-footage allocation.
“This is a great athletic area for the entire University of Denver community and it is so fitting that it is named for Diane Wendt,” said Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation Peg Bradley-Doppes. “It is also no surprise that Joy Burns took the lead to fulfill a critical campus need, which she has done so many times in the decades she has served the University. We are so very fortunate to have the Pioneering vision of both Joy and Diane as our institution continues to celebrate 150 years in the Denver community.”
In addtion, The Diane Wendt Endowed Scholarship Fund is being established in her honor to provide opportunities for DU student-athletes.
Anyone interested in making a contribution please contact Ryan Peck at Ryan.Peck@du.edu or 303-871-2785.
About Joy S. Burns
The University of Denver has been blessed by the contributions of Board of Trustees Chair Emerita Joy Burns in the many decades she has involved herself in University leadership. Ms. Burns has been a shining example of how to effectively move important initiatives forward for the betterment of others.
Ms. Burns and her late husband, Franklin L. Burns, are the namesakes and primary benefactors of several campus facilities and programs, including the Joy Burns Ice Arena in the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness, the Franklin L. Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, the Joy Burns Plaza at the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts and the Joy Burns Center, which houses the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management.
Ms. Burns has received many honors for the wonderful work she has done in service to others and has been an avid supporter of Pioneer Athletics since 1976. While she has been involved in the growth of all DU athletic programs, Ms. Burns' love for gymnastics has been truly special. She has developed a trust for the gymnastics program and annually sponsors the most successful home gymnastics competition - The Burnsley Invitational. Ms. Burns was inducted into the University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.
About Diane T. Wendt
A truly transformational Pioneer, in 1974 Diane Wendt was named the first Director of Women's Athletics at the University of Denver. In the ensuing four decades Ms. Wendt has provided a special brand of leadership that has inspired the many fortunate enough to have received her tutelage.
A forerunner in the effort for equity, Ms. Wendt founded and facilitated the University of Denver Gender Equity Task Force and served as a member of the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force in 1992. In her storied career, Ms. Wendt has been recognized both locally and nationally with awards such as the Sportswomen of Colorado Leadership Award; Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame; Colorado Women's Leadership Coalition’s Woman Leader of Excellence Award; National Association for Collegiate Marketing Administrators Hall of Fame and National Association of Collegiate Women Administrators Outstanding Administrator for NCAA Division I-AAA institutions.
Ms. Wendt has also been recognized by the campus community receiving the Distinguished Service to the University Award from the University of Denver Alumni Association and being inducted into the University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004. To highlight her special contributions to women in sport, the University also initiated the Diane T. Wendt Equity Award to recognize outstanding contributions toward the advancement of equity within the intercollegiate athletics program.
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