Wichita State asks Regents to seek up to $60 million in legislative bond authority for new stadium

Wichita State presented a phased plan to replace Cessna Stadium and asked the Board of Regents’ Fiscal Affairs & Audit Committee to send up to $60 million in legislative bond authority to the full board. David Miller, who discussed the project on behalf of Wichita State, said the campus amended the project budget to $78 million in 2023 and is proceeding in phases so the annual State Track & Field Championship can remain on campus.

Miller said phase 1A (east side) cost about $11.8 million and phase 1B (soccer field and expanded eight‑lane track) is estimated at $8.42 million; the university is requesting authority to issue $6.81 million now tied to prior legislative authorization. For phase 2, he said the current estimate is about $53.9 million and that the university is seeking legislative authority “up to $60,000,000” to allow bonding and a small contingency.

On funding, Miller said the Board of Trustees has committed the equivalent of $22 million (principal and interest payments), the university is working on local government commitments of roughly $18 million, and the remaining $20 million would come from donations, naming rights or cost reductions. He added the university would not use general fund resources, tuition or state operating dollars to pay principal and interest on the bonds and said, “we would not proceed with construction in any way if we do not have firm commitments on the donations.”

Regents questioned an earlier online estimate that showed a lower phase 2 cost (about $39.5 million in May 2024); Miller suggested the website may not have been updated and said the $53.9 million figure aligns with the amended $78 million total project budget approved in 2023. Regents also pressed for more detailed schedules for pledged donations and for confirmation that bond issuance would return to the Regents for final authorization before any sale.

The committee voted to recommend sending the university’s $60 million legislative authorization request to the full Board of Regents for consideration. The university emphasized that issuance of bonds and actual construction would be contingent on having required funding commitments in place and that the item will come back to the board for approval of any bond issuance.