FLUEGEL ALUMNI CENTER WILL SERVE AS NEW HOME FOR USNA ALUMNI
For immediate release: 29 March 2023
Contact: Heather Epkins, Ph.D., Director of Communications
USNA Alumni Association and Foundation
Email / Ph: 410-295-4075
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The United States Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation today announced the name of its 65,000-square-foot facility on College Creek, opening later this year in Annapolis, Md. – the Fluegel Alumni Center. Construction of the center was fully funded by philanthropic gifts and made possible in large part through an anchor gift from Donna K. and Frederick. Fluegel ’61. More than 3,500 generous alumni, including 37 U.S . Naval Academy (USNA) classes and more than 1,200 plankowners, raised more than $36 million in contributions to build, equip, and operate the facility.
“We have always been very impressed with the excellence of the Naval Academy and its graduates over the years and are proud to support the Center as a place for alumni to gather in Annapolis,” said Donna and Rick Fluegel ’61.
The Naval Academy Alumni Association, the Naval Academy Foundation, and the Athletic and Scholarship Programs will consolidate from five buildings-on and off the Yard-into one location, allowing staff to serve a larger number of alumni and community partners, host more events, and provide improved engagement opportunities. A single, dedicated space for serving alumni will also produce clearer lines of communication between the Yard and alumni groups supporting midshipmen.
“Thanks to the generosity of all our lead donors, the United States Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation will be better equipped to uphold our mission of supporting the Naval Academy, the Brigade of Midshipmen, and the entire alumni community,” said U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation President and CEO Jeff Webb ’95. “The Fluegel Alumni Center is a first-class facility, and we are eager to welcome alumni to their new home this fall.”
The concept for the project began more than a decade ago when the initiative was codified in the Naval Academy Strategic Plan 2020 and the Alumni Association & Foundation’s strategic plan.
“The naming of this center is an exciting next step in the realization of more than a decade of effort,” said Admiral Robert J. Natter ’67, USN (Ret.), who directed the project. “This is a shining example of our alumni community’s shared vision to invest in itself and in our alma mater, that influenced us so greatly in what it means to serve and to lead.”
The Associations of Graduates at West Point and Air Force have found that an investment in facilities enhanced their programs and service to alumni with the James K. Herbert Alumni Center in June 1995 and Doolittle Hall in 1992, respectively. The size and versatility of uses of the Fluegel Alumni Center provides the Naval Academy alumni community with a world-class destination for reunions, meetings, and special events.
“Thanks to the generosity of Rick and Donna, the Alumni Association & Foundation will be able to host and support our alumni in a center worthy of their service to the nation,” said Admiral Mark Ferguson III ’78, USN (Ret.), Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Naval Academy Alumni Association. “We are very grateful our alumni community will have a home they can be proud of when they return to Annapolis.”
Construction on the Fluegel Alumni Center continues and is expected to be completed by June. Reservations for fall events will open later this year. The finished facility will include 4,000 square feet of exterior deck space, 2,000 square feet of lower-level bar/event space, and two banquet facilities.
“The Fluegel Alumni Center will provide the Alumni Association & Foundation with modern amenities to support a growing alumni base inside an unparalleled venue,” said J. Ronald Terwilliger ’63, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Naval Academy Foundation.
A dedication event is planned for September. For more updates on the Fluegel Alumni Center, visit www.usna.com where there are links to the project’s details and to a webcam that captures photos to document construction progress.
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The United States Naval Academy Alumni Association and the United States Naval Academy Foundation are two independent, not-for-profit non-stock Maryland corporations operating as an integrated organization in support of the Naval Academy and its mission with more than 69,000 members, 77 active alumni classes, and 102 chapters around the world. For more information, visit www.usna.com.