By Tim Ruzek
Post-Bulletin, Austin MN
Details on the upcoming University of Minnesota football stadium will be offered Tuesday night in Austin.
The University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s Statewide Speakers Tour is scheduled for a presentation from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Austin Public Library. The discussion is titled "The Ultimate Homecoming — Everything to know about the TCF Bank Stadium."
Bruce Mooty, president of the alumni association’s national board of directors, is expected to be the speaker.
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Austin Rotary/Rotaract members are hosting the event that’s open to the public.
For the third year, the university’s Alumni Association is taking the university to communities around Minnesota.
This year’s tour, started in August, features a partnership with the U of M athletics department, including information about TCF Bank Stadium and how Minnesotans can get involved.
U of M officials planned to reach a goal of visiting all 87 counties in Minnesota on their grassroots stadium tour.
The new U of M stadium is under construction on campus and slated to open Sept. 12, 2009, for its first Gophers football game.
TCF Bank Stadium is an open-air stadium with a horseshoe shape that initially will seat 50,000, with the potential to expand to more than 70,000.
According to the U, the stadium will be the symbolic center of campus life — a place to gather, build a common heritage and experience a sense of community.
It also will have 20,000 square feet for the university’s marching band.
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The University of Minnesota Alumni Association was the first organization to give $1 million to build the stadium, coupled with a gift for scholarships, a news release says.
