The University of Nevada Athletics Department will break ground on the Marguerite Wattis Petersen Foundation Athletic Academic Center on Thursday, June 28 at 1:30 p.m. on the site of the facility between Legacy Hall and Cashell Fieldhouse.

PENTA Building Group of Reno will build the 8,000-square-foot, $7.5 million Marguerite Petersen Academic Center, which will be home to the athletics academic advising department. The facility will feature a computer center, advisor offices, individual and group study areas and a student lounge for group study and meetings.

Once completed, the academic center will complete the E.L. Cord Foundation Academic and Athletics Performance Complex, a 46,000-plus-square-foot facility designed to provide Nevada's student-athletes with top-notch resources. Already completed are the renovations to the Robert and Nancy Cashell Football Center, including new locker rooms, and the state-of-the art Roger B. Primm Sports Medicine and Strength Center, while the Marguerite Petersen Academic Center will be open for use in the fall of 2008.

Representatives from the Marguerite Wattis Petersen and E.L. Cord Foundations and Penta Building Group as well as University President Milton Glick, Nevada Director of Athletics Cary Groth and other athletics department staff will participate in the groundbreaking ceremony followed by a reception at Legacy Hall on Thursday.

"We are so appreciative of the generous support we have received to build the Marguerite Petersen Academic Center, which will help in our commitment to providing our student-athletes with the academic support and resources they need to be successful in the classroom," Groth said. "We are eager to get the construction started and look forward to seeing our plans for one of the finest academic centers in the country come to life."

Wolf Pack fans who wish to attend the groundbreaking ceremony should park on the third floor or higher of the West Stadium Parking Complex, located north of Legacy Hall.