Tarleton EECU Center opens doors to community

BY COLTON BRADBERRY

Managing Editor

Tarleton State University opened the doors Thursday, Aug. 21, to its long-awaited EECU Center, a $120 million facility expected to transform the student experience, strengthen ties with the Stephenville community and provide an economic boost to the region.

The two-story multipurpose arena sits on the university’s main campus and is designed to be one of the largest venues in the area. It will host NCAA Division I basketball games, symposiums, academic conferences, concerts and conventions. Seating capacity is 8,000 for basketball games and up to 10,000 for concerts, making it a centerpiece for both university and community gatherings.

The grand opening drew students, faculty, staff, alumni and Stephenville residents who filled the new arena for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and speeches from state leaders, Tarleton officials and community partners. The celebration marked the culmination of years of planning and construction aimed at elevating Tarleton’s status as a member of the Texas A&M University System and as a growing NCAA Division I program.

The first official event to be held in the new building was Tarleton’s annual Convocation, welcoming new students to the university. But Thursday’s grand opening was the public unveiling, complete with tours of the facility, a showcase of the building’s amenities and reflections on what the project represents for Tarleton and beyond.

Tarleton President James Hurley told the crowd that the EECU Center is more than bricks and mortar.

“The EECU Center isn’t just a building, it’s the new economic engine for Tarleton State, Stephenville, Erath County and beyond,” Hurley said. “It will be a place where we come together to cheer, to celebrate, to be inspired and to create memories that last a lifetime.”

Hurley highlighted the collaborative effort that brought the project to completion, crediting the Texas A&M System Board of Regents, state lawmakers and private partners for their support.

Texas Sen. Brian Birdwell, who represents the region in the state Legislature, praised the project for the opportunities it will create for Tarleton students and the Stephenville community.

“We’re here today, not to celebrate a building—a building is an inanimate object—but the opportunities that this building will represent,” Birdwell said. “It’s the opportunities that come, which are not inanimate, that we’re looking forward to with this ribbon-cutting today.”

For students, the center offers new opportunities to connect with employers and professionals. Kim Mitchell, assistant director of Career Services, said the building makes an ideal setting for large-scale recruitment events.

“I’m looking forward to our first career fair that Career Services is hosting on Oct. 1, which is the Mayfield College of Engineering Fair,” Mitchell said. “We have currently, as of this morning (Aug. 21), 70 different employers that will be here in the EECU Event Center ready to hire our Texans.”

Students also expressed their excitement about the new space. Kolt Byrd, Tarleton’s Texan Rider, said he expects the building to draw attention not just from campus, but from surrounding towns.

“I think it will be a new wave to the towns around us, and they will all want to come visit and check out the new center and events,” Byrd said. “It’s pretty incredible inside. We have one state-of-the-art facility here.”

The event center will soon host its first major entertainment events. On Sept. 7, comedian Leanne Morgan will bring her “Just Getting Started” tour to the arena. Just days later, on Sept. 13, former Tarleton student and Texas country star Koe Wetzel will return to campus for a concert.