Illinois State University announced that two anonymous families have donated $300,000 to enhance the fan experience at CEFCU Arena. Each family contributed a six-figure sum, marking this as the fifth donation of $250,000 or more publicly revealed by Illinois State Athletics in the past three months.
“We are so appreciative of these two families who believe in our vision to bring the CEFCU Arena game day experience into the 21st century,” said ISU Deputy Director of Athletics/External Operations Paul Kabbes. “ISU Athletics is committed to driving revenue and highlighting our teams constantly and this is another step in that direction. We look forward to our fans seeing the drastic improvements during the 2026-27 academic year.”
The upgrades will include installing TV monitors throughout the arena’s concourse before next season begins. These monitors are expected to help with communication to fans, create new revenue opportunities, and improve experiences during athletic events as well as campus gatherings such as commencement ceremonies and community events like IHSA state championships. Last year, over 213,000 people visited CEFCU Arena.
Other planned enhancements include finalizing a permanent display for the ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame inside the arena’s east entrance in April. The support from these donations aims to ensure volleyball, basketball, and gymnastics game days deliver one of the top fan experiences in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Illinois State Redbirds’ athletics program benefits from various resources aimed at improving competitiveness and recruitment through initiatives like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund (https://goredbirds.com/). The university also provides facilities such as the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for athlete preparation and offers comprehensive news, schedules, rosters, and fan resources on its official website (https://goredbirds.com/). Illinois State Redbirds competes in NCAA Division I events across multiple regions and is directly connected to Illinois State University.
Those interested in supporting Redbird Athletics can contact Associate Athletic Director/Revenue Generation Nathaniel Smith at (309) 438-3803 or nwsmit2@ilstu.edu. More information about supporting ISU sports programs can be found at https://weisbeckerathleticfund.com.
