The Colorado College community and the city of Colorado Springs celebrated a historic moment on Sept. 18, 2021.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for CC’s new Ed Robson Arena and Mike and Barbara Yalich Student Services Center, 250 guests toured the new facilities and heard from former CC hockey players and major donor Ed Robson ’54, P’79, G’11, and longtime CC advocate Barbara Neeley Yalich ’53.
Colorado College President L. Song Richardson, City Mayor John Suthers, and Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Keller ’91, P’22, commended Robson and the Yalichs’ longstanding dedication to Colorado College and recognized a bolstered relationship with Colorado Springs during the afternoon event.
The new 3,407-seat arena serves as the first-ever on-campus home for CC’s NCAA Division I men’s hockey program. The state-of-the-art complex is part of Colorado Springs’ City for Champions (C4C) initiative, which uses revenue made available by the state’s 2013 Regional Tourism Act as seed money to invest in new facilities to draw tourists to the region.
“This connects Colorado Springs and Colorado College in a significant way,” Richardson said.
Construction was made possible by Robson’s lead gift, C4C funding, and other donations.
Robson was active in hockey and baseball while at CC. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps, during which he represented Team USA as part of the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team at the 1956 Olympic Winter Games.
In addition to the new hockey arena, the adjacent Yalich Center includes the school’s health and wellbeing services, the college bookstore and mail center, as well as an art studio and restaurant space.
Through a gift from Inasmuch Foundation, the center honors Yalich’s legacy. She is a renowned community leader in the Pikes Peak Region and a champion for Colorado College. Her late husband, Milo “Mike” Yalich ’50, was a lifelong CC supporter who captained the 1949-50 Tiger hockey team to the school’s first NCAA national title.
The versatile arena, which includes a multipurpose event and meeting space with an outdoor plaza, will be available for large and small art and music events and student life activities.
“This is a true multipurpose facility that will benefit the entire campus and the Colorado Springs communities as a whole,” CC Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine said.
