University alumnus dedicates building

University alumnus Preston Robert Tisch joined members of the University community yesterday to celebrate the openings of the Tisch Humanities Building and Tisch Tennis Center.

Tisch, whose $7.5 million donation funded the two new buildings, said he was delighted to help the school that gave so much to him and his family.

"The University does a great job preparing its students for the future," Tisch said. "I'm happy to be able to support it."

During the dedication of Tisch Hall, formerly known as "the connector," LSA Dean Edie Goldenberg thanked Tisch for making such a "pivotal building" possible.

"Tisch Hall serves as a front door to the humanities to many students," Goldenberg said. "We are most grateful to Bob and (his wife) Joan and the Tisch Foundation."

University President Lee Bollinger said the building will allow students to participate in the humanities on a one-on-one basis, as opposed to just through technology.

"There's no substitute for human contact," Bollinger said.

During the dedication of the Tisch Tennis Center, Athletic Director Tom Goss praised Tisch and called the new tennis facility the best in the country.

"There's not another university nationally, we believe, that can come close to what we have here," Goss said. "It will give our athletes ... our women athletes in particular ... the chance to compete on the highest level."

Currently, the center has eight indoor courts. Another 12 outdoor courts are in the process of being built.

Bollinger cited famous literary figures who also had an interest in athletics - including Percy Bysshe Shelley, who wrote poetry while swimming - to illustrate the point that humanities and athletics are dependent on each other.

"I believe that it takes generosity to understand that a new major tennis facility is critical to the humanities," Bollinger said with a smile, adding that all students need to engage in physical activity while pursuing their academic careers.

Regent Philip Power (D-Ann Arbor) said that 70 percent of students use the campus' athletic facilities, including the recreation buildings on Central and North Campuses and the Intramural Building.

"This building will continue to carry on that tradition," Power said.

Tisch, who is co-owner of the New York Giants football team, said Ann Arbor was the place where his family's sports tradition began.

"I like to help the Athletic Department do what it's doing," Tisch said.

Being on campus brought back fond memories for Tisch, who met his wife, Joan, on the steps of the Hatcher Graduate Library. He was an undergraduate student at the University from 1944-48. He joked about his memories of the University, adding that his biggest complaint about Angell Hall used to be that the seats were too far apart from each other for him to copy from his future wife's notes.

Tisch is co-chair of Loew's Corp., a firm with an annual revenue of $20 billion that includes Lorillard tobacco, hotels, watches, clocks, insurance and oil and gas drilling. Tisch also has started a University philanthropic fund, endowed a professorship in Judaic studies and supported University Hospitals.

LSA senior Sora Moon, captain of the women's varsity tennis team, said the new facility already has helped the tennis teams recruit potential players and has made practices more convenient for players.

"All in all, this building will help us maintain our position as the leaders and the best," Moon said. Before the new courts were built, the teams practiced at private tennis clubs.

Moon said she hopes the facility will build more student support for tennis.

"I think a lot of people just don't know what it's like to watch a tennis match and if we get them out here, they might enjoy it," Moon said.

- Daily Staff Reporter Chris Metinko contributed to this report.

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