Joe Alleva, Duke's director of athletics, announced Tuesday that the entire athletic department will undertake a comprehensive study of current facilities and operations with the intention of creating a "master plan for future success."
The study, which Alleva said will begin immediately, will focus on such areas as the possibility of a new football facility, refurbishing Cameron Indoor Stadium, meeting student-athlete training demands and current locker room space.
"I think something we really need is a feasibilities study, looking at our facilities and where they are right now and comparing them to who we're competing against, people in the conference mainly, to see what we need," Alleva said. "Once we have what we need, we can go about fundraising and planning to build those new facilities."
In addition to the study, Alleva also said he is less than two weeks away from hiring a permanent fundraiser for the athletic department. Duke's new athletic director has made it clear during his first six months in charge that he intends to raise the department to new heights.
"This study will be designed to give the athletic department and the university the information needed to develop a plan that will put Duke at the top tier of intercollegiate athletics," Alleva said. "We are an integral part of one of the top universities in the nation and now is the time to put our overall program on that same level.
"Most importantly, we will do that without compromising the things that we hold dear-high academic standards and graduating our student-athletes."
Alleva's potential plans for Cameron could include air-conditioning, new windows, renovation of the lobbies and renewing the environment on the concourse "to display our basketball memorabilia."
Earlier in the summer, men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski suggested that Cameron should indeed be the centerpiece of plans to renovate Duke's athletic facilities. Krzyzewski feels that Cameron should be taken advantage of in the fundraising process.
Krzyzewski also expressed the opinion that Duke should be more competitive in the Sears Director's Cup competition. Tuesday, Alleva shared the same sentiments.
"We are committed to compete for the Sears Cup year in and year out," Alleva said. "This study marks an important step toward reaching that goal and coming together as a department to attain that level of success."
Duke has finished in the top 30 in the Sears Cup the past five years. This past year, however, it only ranked fifth among ACC schools and fifth among all private schools in the country. Though the Blue Devils' various programs have made numerous trips to the NCAA Final Four over the past decade, the school can only claim three team national championships in that period.
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