Several hundred NIU alumni, athletes, donors and fans gathered for the ceremonial ground breaking for the Kenneth and Ellen Chessick Practice Center (CPC) Saturday.

The ceremony was held at the future site of the CPC across from the Jeffery and Kimberly Yordon Center. Actual construction on the site is scheduled to begin mid-summer. The building is expected to be completed in August 2013.

On hand to speak at the event was NIU President John Peters, NIU athletic director Jeff Compher, NIU football coach Dave Doeren and Michael Malone, Vice President for University Advancement.

As of Saturday, $8.7 million of the $9.5 million needed for the CPC had been raised. President Peters said this is the first project in NIU history to receive three gifts of $1 million or more.

“We looked at many different facilities,” Compher said. “We have learned a great deal from that, and because of that, we will make the Chessick Center one of the finest of its kind in the country.”

After Peters and Compher finished going over information about the indoor facility and how it got to this stage, Doeren took the podium.

“On behalf of the 17 sports and head coaches, I just wanted to say thank you to everybody on stage, everybody that came and everybody that has given and everybody that we are going to ask to give,” Doeren said. “I can’t tell you how excited we are to have that facility on board and to break ground.”

After the ceremony, Peters said the facility has been on his mind ever since he came here 12 years ago. Now that it’s coming, he wants to see NIU reach a status similar to that of Boise State, which is well recognized throughout the country.

“We’ve had such tremendous success without it,” Peters said. “Now, there’s just no limit to the level of our competitiveness, relative to the fact we’re in the Mid-American Conference.”

Peters said there will be times the facility will be open for all students to use.

Dr. Kenneth Chessick, a 1984 NIU grad, said the facility will help students have a more enjoyable experience at NIU. Chessick said anything that can make a college experience more enjoyable is important to keeping students in school and getting a quality education.

“Everything we have done has been with one purpose and that is to improve the experience for the students,” Chessick said. “Not just the athletes, but all students.”