The building will be named the Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Fieldhouse
LOUISVILLE — The Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Family graciously donated $500,000 to Spalding University to build the university’s first on-campus field house. The structure will reside on the northeast section of Spalding’s new Athletic Complex (910 South Eighth Street), which will host the men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse and women’s softball teams during home games.
Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn’s gift is one in a series of large donations to athletics in Louisville. For the Lynn family, the city directly benefits from sports programs. It’s an opportunity they are eager to support.
“If you can help the athletic department, you help more than just the student athletes — you help the whole campus,” Mark Lynn said. “As you build your athletic department, so do you build your enrollment. It’s just part of the circle of being an all around student, having things to be proud of with your school.”
Not only will the gift create a shared space and source of pride for Spalding student-athletes, it will also further enhance the university’s presence and engagement in the city’s landscape. The Spalding Athletic Complex, located on a formerly abandoned industrial site and transformed into the first on-campus home for outdoor sports, was unveiled in October 2019. Along with the addition of the field house the complex is a cultural landmark connecting students and the local community.
Education is fundamental to the Lynn family. All four of their kids graduated college.The family’s philanthropy shows their kids the importance of leaving behind a good legacy.
“Education is the one thing nobody can ever take away from you,” Mark Lynn said. “If you have an education, you’ll figure out how to survive. You’ll figure out how to thrive. You will always be better off if you can have something behind you to say, ‘Look. Here’s what I did. Here’s what I accomplished. Here’s who I am.’ ”
The Lynn family believes donating to universities in the city will create a stronger workforce and creative solutions.
As the only Division III school in Louisville, and with 18 men’s and women’s sports teams, Spalding provides many paths for student-athletes who will be the next generation of educators, care providers, communicators and leaders. The Lynns recognize the importance of developing the student athlete into a productive member of the community.
“A very important aspect of this is making the city the best that it can be,” Cindy Lynn said. “I always think to myself how much money could be donated if everybody just gave a dollar.”
The construction timeline of the Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Fieldhouse is to be determined. Once open, the field house will be available for use by all Spalding student athletes and the visiting teams who travel to play at the athletic complex.