August 4, 2000 UNT Inhouse publication: Future UNT-Dallas campus chosen as site of Olympic Village for Dallas 2012 proposal

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artist's rendering of proposed Olympic Village

Future UNT-Dallas campus chosen as site of Olympic Village for Dallas 2012 proposal

"Development of a campus for the University of North Texas at Dallas can be the best legacy of bringing the 2012 Olympic Games to North Texas."

Such were the sentiments of Dallas 2012 Chair Tom Luce and other Olympic committee leaders on July 18 when the group's board of directors proposed the future UNT-Dallas campus as its venue of choice for the 2012 Olympic Village.

Luce and committee leaders expressed confidence in the master planning for UNT's bid to provide housing and amenities to 15,000 international athletes at the Olympic Village during the games.

In his address to the committee, Chancellor and President Alfred F. Hurley (who, with Regent Roy Gene Evans and Virginia Wheeless, System Center interim executive director, represented UNT at the meeting) reported on the progress of the new UNT System Center at Dallas, which is on the pathway to becoming a full university. In addition, he told how, working under the guidance of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Legislature, the UNT System is developing a vision for UNT-Dallas that includes courses and programs to prepare the work force of the future.

Although a site for the campus/village has yet to be selected, both Hurley and architect Paris Rutherford IV affirmed that UNT's developing plans are flexible enough to fit various sites in the Interstate 20 corridor. Rutherford — vice president of RTKL Associates Inc. and volunteer master planning consultant for UNT — unveiled renderings proposed for the new UNT campus and discussed how they can be adapted "perfectly" for the Olympic Village.

After the unanimous vote in UNT's favor, Hurley noted that the committee's decision can generate support to bring UNT-Dallas closer to realization. However, he emphasized the system's aspirations for UNT-Dallas are not contingent on a successful Olympic bid. He affirmed UNT's support for the Olympic effort but asserted that planning for the new university will continue even if Dallas' Olympic bid is not successful.

The 2012 committee also designated the UNT Coliseum as one of 38 "first choice" Olympic venues. The Coliseum would host preliminary men's and women's basketball games.

The Dallas 2012 committee will finalize its decisions before it submits the formal bid to the U.S. Olympic Committee on Dec. 15. Other U.S. cities competing are Cincinnati, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tampa/Orlando and Washington/Baltimore. The USOC will choose one U.S. city to include among all international contenders in 2002, and the International Olympic Committee will make the final selection in 2005. Luce says the winning city is expected to receive approximately $2 billion as its share of television and licensing agreements.