The Garvy Family Foundation has made a $1 million gift commitment to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics. The gift will support the construction of the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership.

β€œWe are fully supportive of the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership and are pleased to be part of this exciting project,” Carol and Robert Garvy said. β€œΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has become very special to us and we are particularly interested in the development and future of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ student-athletes.”

The Garvys’ son Kevin was a member of the Knights football team from 2008-12, seeing action in every game of his senior season. Kevin Garvy is a 2012 ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ graduate with a bachelor’s degree in finance. The younger Garvy is currently enrolled at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ as a graduate student and is scheduled to earn his MBA this spring. In addition, Robert Garvy is a member of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics Association Board of Directors and the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Board of Trustees.

The Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership will serve as the headquarters for ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ student-athletes’ personal, professional and academic development. It will house ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s Student-Athlete Leadership Institute, Academic Services for Student-Athletes, Student Services and Compliance departments. The center will also provide operations space to serve more than 500 student-athletes. It will include a multi-purpose classroom, which will hold 200 students, a computer lab, tutoring and mentoring rooms, study space and conference and resource rooms.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury said the gift from the Garvy Family Foundation will help ensure the development of Knight student-athletes long into the future.

β€œWe are very grateful to Carol and Bob Garvy for this wonderful gift,” Stansbury said. β€œThanks to this commitment from the Garvy Family Foundation, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ student-athletes – our Everyday Champions – will continue to benefit from the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership for years and years to come.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ President John C. Hitt echoed those sentiments.

β€œIt means so much to have the generous support of Carol and Bob Garvy and the Garvy Family Foundation,” Hitt said. β€œThis gift to the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership will allow our student-athletes to grow into academic and community leaders who will make Knights everywhere proud.”

The Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership will be located just east of and adjacent to Bright House Networks Stadium. Construction is slated to begin before the end of 2014.