Students invited into huddle to design state-of-the-art athletic performance center

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—As Jackson Hammerschmidt’s trademark cowboy hat emerges from a stretch limousine, the Western Michigan University engineering student makes his way through the jubilant sounds of the Bronco Marching Band and dance and cheer teams, leading the Lawson Lunatics to their front-row seats at a monumental milestone: The official groundbreaking of the Kalamazoo Event Center and Athletic Performance Center—a privately funded $515 million, 453,000 square-foot facility in the heart of downtown.

“We are celebrating the start of one of the most exciting chapters in the history of Western Michigan University, the city of Kalamazoo and all of Southwest Michigan,” says Dan Bartholomae, vice president and director of athletics for Western.

“It’s a transformational investment that is going to continue to change the direction of an evolving Kalamazoo to make it a vibrant destination and a spot that we will all be proud of together,” adds Kalamazoo Mayor David Anderson, B.B.A.’91.

The Lawson Lunatics didn’t just get VIP seats to this historic announcement, rubbing elbows with the region’s most influential decision-makers and community leaders. The Bronco hockey-supporting registered student organization had a seat at the table in the development of the facility that philanthropist William Johnston, B.S.’70, M.A.’74, WMU trustee emeritus and chairman of Greenleaf Companies, calls a “once-in-100-year opportunity.”

“During my time as president of the Lawson Lunatics, I got to watch my favorite hockey team fulfill their biggest quest: their first NCHC regular season championship, first tournament championship and then the national championship. And I got something even greater when Dan (Bartholomae) asked me to have input on the new arena,” says Hammerschmidt, a sports management major.

“They wanted our input from the very beginning—the architects, too. They met with us, and we were the center of attention. It felt truly special to see that our University cares. I know a lot of universities out there do what they want, and they don’t ask students. Western Michigan does.”

In fact, the Lunatics, who’ve earned a reputation as the best student section in college hockey twice now from Everything College Hockey, were at the heart of the development. Pat Ferschweiler, WMU hockey head coach, made sure the architects attended a game at Lawson Arena and sat in the student section to understand their impact.

“My phone blew up after that win, and the architects said, ‘We get it, coach. That’s the best experience we’ve ever had at a sporting event,’” Ferschweiler says. “They actually flipped the building around to accommodate and make the student experience better. Everyone was included in this process: the students, the athletes, everyone.

"It is the best competition facility in our hockey and basketball conferences. Fans and students will experience our events in new and exciting ways in an environment that was literally built for them,” adds Bartholomae. “Including the Lawson Lunatics was an important part of the process, and they will continue to play an active role in designing the best student experience in the country.”

Blueprints for holistic student support

The Kalamazoo Event Center and Athletic Performance Center's main tenants will be the WMU hockey, men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as the Kalamazoo Wings. But the facility will also host everything from concerts to community events to conferences. Developers and stakeholders traversed the country, building a vision for the space that incorporated the best elements of top athletic and event centers and charged architects to improve upon them even more.

“This is not just a competition facility; it is truly a community facility. Yes, it's built for Western Michigan, its athletes and its staff, and we are proud to call it home. But this is an opportunity for us to embrace community connection, break down silos and seek new partnership strategies at a time when both higher education and division I athletics is changing—and it's a statement that we're going to change with it,” says Bartholomae.

It’s also a place that pushes the boundaries for what it means to be a student-athlete.

“An athletic performance center takes a holistic view of athletes. So we’re not just talking about a place to practice; we’re talking about a place to practice and prepare for life. We’re talking about an opportunity to bring academics to the athletic field, to the athletic court, to the ice,” says Johnston, who, along with his wife, Ronda Stryker, M.A.’82, is funding the project.

“It's a facility that has carefully considered the student-athlete experience, providing best-in-class training and recovery amenities that support peak mental and physical performance, while also providing new programming space for the best student-athlete development program in the country in Broncos Empowered,” Bartholomae adds, amplifying Western’s innovative program aimed at propelling Broncos to holistic success.

Student-centered design

Western students aren’t just faces in the crowd at the new facility; they will receive top billing with their own entrance and dedicated lounge near their section. Architects even designed a first-of-its kind seating system for the Lawson Lunatics section at center ice that converts traditional seats with armrests into bleachers at the flip of a switch. Bartholomae says he didn’t want to change the experience for the Lunatics who are often on their feet cheering on their team.

“Having our own areas for students designed by students is amazing to see, because nobody knows what the students want more than the students," says Luke Kritzman, a music performance major and Western Student Association student body president. “It allows for the student experience to be so much greater.”

“It’s going to be something special,” says Aidan Moran, an engineering student and Lawson Lunatic. “If you have a national championship hockey team, you need a national championship arena!”

The Kalamazoo Event Center and Athletic Performance Center is slated to open in fall 2027—a day that can’t come soon enough for everyone involved in making the vision a reality.

“We’ve seen the rendering video in presentations, but something about seeing it today with the music and with all these people really hit me,” Kritzman says.

“It’s a great day to be a Bronco!” adds Johnston. 

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.