UNC receives $500,000 donation toward Campus Commons construction

GREELEY – The University of Northern Colorado announced on Tuesday that Rob and Lola Salazar have donated $500,000 toward the construction of UNC’s Campus Commons project.

The gift comes through the couple’s Denver-based Salazar Family Foundation, which works to encourage Colorado students to achieve their educational goals.

Campus Commons is a $73.6 million project that will serve as a gateway to the campus, a support hub for students and a showcase for UNC’s music and musical theater programs. The building will include a 600-seat performance venue, a 400- seat multiuse auditorium, an art gallery and a student-run café.

Campus Commons is to be located south of the University Center, near the intersection of 11th Avenue and 22nd Street. Construction is slated to begin in the fall and take two years to complete.

UNC has committed to raising $12 million toward the project. State funding of $38 million and bonds backed by student fees will also pay for the building.

The Campus Commons donation is not the Salazar family’s first involvement with UNC. The Salazar Foundation has previously established a scholarship to support first-generation students and student-athletes at the school, and it’s been involved with various athletic initiatives, school officials said.

The Salazars, through their investment firm Central Street Capital Inc., also developed the 92-unit University Flats student-housing complex near UNC’s campus.

“We could not do this without the support of our donors,” UNC Board of Trustees Chair Dick Monfort said in a release from the school. “We are excited to be a part of the Salazars’ mission to ensure the best education possible for every student.”

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