UD VP to manage renovation of arena
Before retiring in 2019, she will oversee largest project in school history.
A University of Dayton vice president will leave one job to take on another managing the $72 million transformation of the UD Arena.
The school announced today that Beth Keyes, vice president for facilities and campus operations, will retire in 2019, but before that she will move on to a role as facilities project management officer, leading the UD Arena upgrades.
The arena project is the largest and most complex single project in UD’s history, school officials have said.
“It’s a really important building for the university and a really important project for the community,” Keyes said in a prepared statement. “With large-scale, complex renovations and upgrades to the existing building and systems, and the need to do it in several phases, the project will be a significant logistical challenge.”
Keyes retires after a nearly 30-year career that has involved every aspect of the physical campus, according to the school.
Keyes said for the time being she will continue in her current role and manage the UD Arena project, relying on current staff to step up to more responsibilities while UD conducts a national search to fill her position.
She expects to retire after the arena project is completed in December 2019, according to the university.
“Beth has spearheaded the remarkable growth and transformation of the university’s physical campus, especially during the past 10 years,” said president Eric Spina in a prepared statement. “As a result of her leadership, we have the beautiful campus we see today with new and renovated facilities nearly everywhere you look.”