Case Studies
Southwestern University: (A)*
Southwestern University (SWU), a large state college in Stephenville, Texas, 30 miles southwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, enrolls close to 20,000 students. In a typical town-gown relationship, the school is a dominant force in the small city, with more students during fall and spring than permanent residents.
A longtime football powerhouse, SWU is a member of the Big Eleven conference and is usually in the top 20 in college football rankings. To bolster its chances of reaching the elusive and long- desired number-one ranking, in 2003, SWU hired the legendary Bo Pitterno as its head coach.
One of Pitterno's demands on joining SWU had been a new stadium. With attendance increasing, SWU administrators began to face the issue head-on. After 6 months of study, much political an wrestling, and some serious financial analysis, Dr. Joel Wisner, president of Southwestern University, had reached a decision to expand the capacity at its on-campus stadium.
Adding thousands of seats, including dozens of luxury skyboxes, would not please everyone. The influential Pittero had argued the need for a first-class stadium, one with built-in dormitory rooms for his players and a palatial office appropriate for the coach