Urbana U. spends $400K on new football field turf

New university CEO says project is a sign of commitment to the Champaign County school amid many changes at the campus.

Urbana University has undergone major changes but remains committed to the community, its new president said, and installing new synthetic turf at the school’s football field shows it will be here for the future.

Crews have been installing about $400,000 of new turf this week. Urbana University CEO Christopher Washington said the turf is safer than the field the school played on previously. He also said the artificial turf is proof that despite change, the Champaign County university is here to stay.

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“Urbana University, like many universities has gone through quite a bit of change,” Washington said. “For us, I hope that people understand this is a significant financial commitment to improve our stadiums and athletic programs. It’s an indication that we are going to stay and we will continue to invest in our facilities, resources to better support student learning.”

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Urbana University will shift to a branch campus of Franklin University. Franklin acquired the Champaign County campus in 2014 after Urbana faced years of lean enrollment and financial struggles. As part of the deal, Urbana now functions as a division of Franklin but retains its name. Franklin is a private, nonprofit institution based in Columbus.

Washington was appointed leader of the college a couple of months ago. He said the turf will improve not only safety for the players, but also the games for the fans.

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“The alternative color greens at every five yards helps you clearly distinguish the movement of the players on the field,” he said. “The colors pop. It creates a bit of excitement.”

Installing the turf is a proactive move that will help the football team, Washington said, and athletics overall at the school.

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