Syracuse University athletics receives $1 million donation from board of trustees chairman

Syracuse University Board of Trustees Chairman Dick Thompson and his wife Jean announced a $1 million donation this week towards the university athletics department.

Thompson said the donation was made to help the university's athletics programs remain competitive as they enter the Atlantic Coast Conference, a move that became official July 1st.

"Athletics has been an integral part of the Syracuse University identity since its founding in 1870," Thompson said in a press statement announcing the gift. "It is a great day for our university, the Syracuse community, and intercollegiate sports."

"We are very grateful to the university and especially the athletic department for their support of a variety of outstanding college teams for women and men," added Jean, whose father was a member of the Syracuse football team in 1940. "We hope this gift will help sustain the university's commitment to future generations of student-athletes as it launches itsmembership in the Atlantic Coast Conference."