A year to celebrate

The first anniversary of the opening of the Save Mart Center at Fresno State was celebrated last month by campus and community officials who gathered near the massive bronze Bulldog statue in the Shehadey Lobby.

President Welty and other campus and community officials offered their views on the cultural, financial and educational impacts on Fresno and the region of the center in its first year of operation.

Speakers were Deborah Adishian-Astone, executive director of Auxiliary Services; Dr. Mike Botwin, chair of the Academic Senate; Scott Johnson, Athletics Director; Molly Fagundes, president of Associated Students; and Lynne Ashbeck, mayor of Clovis.

The Save Mart Center opened its doors for a gala Community Open House on Nov. 1, 2003. In its first year, the center hosted nearly 800,000 visitors for more than 150 events that ranged from opera legend Andrea Bocelli to children’s favorite Barney, from Bulldog basketball to WWE wrestling and from church services to community fairs.

The 450,000-square-foot Save Mart Center is the largest privately financed project in the history of the 23-campus California State University system and the largest venue of this type in Central California. It can accommodate spectators for sporting events, concerts, family shows, cultural events and community programs.

The center, managed by SMG, is home to the Fresno State Bulldogs and the Fresno Falcons. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides facility management services to 170 venues, controlling over 1.46 million entertainment seats worldwide. For more information, see www.SaveMartCenter.com.

Savemart Center November 2003 - October 2004 Events

Kudos for the Save Mart Center at Fresno State