Texas Woman’s University has announced a $10 million donation from North Carolina real estate investor Dawn Chaney to construct a new athletic complex on its Denton campus. The university confirmed Wednesday that the facility will bear Chaney’s name.
The total project cost is estimated at $30 million, with construction scheduled to begin in 2027. The planned 30,000- to 35,000-square-foot building will feature an auxiliary practice gym, expanded locker rooms, a larger weight room, a sports medicine clinic, a student lounge and study hall, indoor batting cages, and dedicated spaces for wrestling, offices, and meetings.
University officials stated the new infrastructure is necessary to resolve current operational challenges. The athletics program currently shares a building with academic kinesiology departments, resulting in scheduling conflicts and overcrowded training and medical spaces. Administrators also noted a desire to expand youth-related programming opportunities.
The donation supports a period of significant growth for the university’s sports department. Over the past six years, Texas Woman’s University has increased its varsity sports offerings from five to nine and more than doubled its student-athlete population. The program has secured over a dozen regional and national championships alongside academic excellence awards.
Chaney, who holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in kinesiology from Texas Woman’s University, is now among the institution’s top five donors. She founded Chaney Properties in 1980 and previously worked in higher education. She has already established two endowed scholarships at the university and has a building in the Health Sciences Center named in her honor.
Sandee Mott, the university’s executive director of athletics, emphasized the importance of modern facilities in collegiate sports. She expressed gratitude for Chaney’s gift, describing it as impactful for the institution’s future.
