UCLA Athletics announces plans to build academic center for student-athletes

Student-athletes will have a new place to study.

A plan to construct an on-campus academic facility designed for UCLA’s nearly 700 student-athletes is in the works, UCLA Athletics announced Wednesday. The facility will be known as the Mo Ostin Academic Center for Student-Athletes.

Morris “Mo” Ostin, a music executive and UCLA alum, gifted $15 million to the project. The athletic department is now launching a $35 million fundraising campaign to fund the facility and will be looking to secure $20 million in private donations from fans and UCLA alumni.

The academic center will be located on the east side of the J.D. Morgan Center, in the heart of campus.

“As we look to provide our student-athletes with every resource and opportunity for success in this environment, a state-of-the-art academic center is the next step in our facilities master plan,” said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero in a statement from athletics. “This facility will be essential to maintaining the balance of athletic accomplishments and academic achievements that has become a hallmark of UCLA Athletics.”

The facility is planned to have three levels, with individual and group study spaces, areas for tutoring, technology labs and offices for UCLA Athletics’ Academic and Student Services staff.

The center will also include a new Hall of Champions entry, similar to the existing UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame, where the Bruins’ 116 NCAA Championship trophies are displayed.

With its location next to the J.D. Morgan Center, Ostin said the facility will be a more cohesive space for student-athletes to balance athletics and academics.

“It is my hope this academic center for student-athletes will serve as a resource for the most elite student-athletes in the country, at the country’s No. 1 public institution, to excel not only athletically but also academically,” Ostin said in a statement to the Athletic Department.