What You Need to Know��

• Miami University’s Board of Trustees approved a resolution authorizing��the construction��of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field.����

• The university estimates arena construction at about��$242 million, with up to��$281 million��authorized for the arena and related ancillary costs.

• The arena is expected to be ready for the start of the athletic season in��fall 2028, addressing space and building-system challenges at the existing Millett Hall.

• Miami University also outlined intramural and recreation upgrades at the Millett Hall site and at Chestnut Fields, with construction expected to run May–September 2026.

Learn More��

OXFORD,��Ohio��—��Miami University’s Board of Trustees has approved plans to build a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, a project the university says will expand event capacity, modernize athletic��operations��and support a broader campus events district.��

University officials estimated arena construction at approximately $242 million, with trustees authorizing up to $281 million for the arena and related ancillary costs. ��

In a statement, the university said the venue is expected to be ready for the start of the athletic season in fall 2028 and is intended to address space limitations and building-system operations and maintenance challenges at Millett Hall, the current arena.��Millett Hall opened in 1968 and initially housed men’s basketball, with volleyball and women’s basketball added in 1974. Miami said renovating Millett Hall to add practice courts and a dedicated volleyball court would��require��at least $175 million and would take the facility offline for multiple years.����

Miami University leaders also framed the new facility as a campuswide event venue, saying it would support concurrent student activities and other major events such as commencements, concerts, creative arts performances and career fairs. ��

“We are in a unique and dynamic time for Miami University Athletics. It is time to innovate, invest, and inspire. A new arena benefits all of Miami and will serve as a gateway and beacon for the university,” according to an article from Miami University.����

President Gregory Crawford tied the project to student experience and local economic goals. “This is a student-centered project that will create a vibrant new space intended to bring people together and support and engage our students. A new arena will provide the foundation for an events district in the heart of campus to benefit students, reinvigorate the community, and strengthen our local economy,” he said in an article published by the University.��

Beyond the arena, Miami said the project will also advance recreation upgrades elsewhere on campus. Planned work includes intramural soccer and flag football fields at the Millett Hall site, along with a walking path and exercise stations. At Chestnut Fields, the university described a multipurpose complex supporting full-size soccer fields, softball fields, flag football fields, a rugby field, a lacrosse field and intramural soccer fields. ��

Construction of new recreation facilities at Millett and Chestnut Fields is expected to begin in May 2026 and be completed in September 2026, allowing Cook Field to go offline in September 2026 to begin arena construction, according to the university.����

This article is based on reporting originally published by��Miami University��on��Feb. 27, 2026.��

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Despite sponsor, Sen. Lloyd Smucker’s insistence that the amendment “provides assurance…that we are committed to seeing Pennsylvania students receive a top-notch education regardless of the venue,” many groups, including The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, have spoken out against it. Opponents have rallied around a particular provision allowing charter schools to be authorized and renewed by independent entities, such as universities. At present, only the state and school district are authorized to oversee charters.

According to Susan Spicka, co-founder of the public school advocacy group Education Matters, the bill would also allow students from all over the state to enroll in any charter of their choice, even those several districts away. This would require the local school district and taxpayers to bus students to and from the charter school, on top of paying for tuition. She added that the bill would create taxation without representation, and a mandate that taxpayers pay for a system of privately operated charter schools in addition to the traditional public schools they already fund.

On Oct. 29, the Education Law Center also released a report agreeing that the bill “would ultimately gut local control over charter school authorization and growth, encourage unfettered expansion of even poorly operated charter schools, take already underfunded school districts to the brink of financial collapse and remove important accountability tools that school districts can use to ensure charter schools are performing well and equitably serving all kinds of students.”

In response, a group including StudentsFirst, The Black Alliance for Education Options and Philadelphia Charters for Excellence, published a position paper outlining their support for SB 1085. The group admitted the bill needs refining, but stated that it conceptually supports the proposed university authorizers, educator evaluations, removal of enrollment barriers and caps and other provisions. The group calls SB 1085 “a thoughtful and comprehensive step in the right direction.”

Proponents also point to a provision that could save the state roughly $30 million through the prevention of “double dipping” in pension funds and reimbursements, and requires charter schools to return all excess tuition funds to their districts. Together with other funding changes, SB 1085 could save Pennsylvania school districts roughly $150 million over the next two years.

Pennsylvania is currently home to 174 physical charter schools, and an additional 16 based online. More than 40,000 students statewide are currently on charter school waiting lists.

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