A $100,000 donation from athletic director Sandy Barbour will help introduce the “Bridge to the Future Fund,” designed to enable Penn State Athletics to improve facilities, according to a release.

Barbour’s gift, which will be finalized in Oct. 2014, will fund the construction of a new Morgan Academic Center in the Greenberg Building.

The Bridge to the Future Fund will address facilities in non-football sports, particularly basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, track and field, volleyball, and the to-be-constructed Morgan Center.

“A major priority for Penn State Athletics is to address the projects in the Bridge to the Future Fund,” said Barbour in the release. “This project in particular speaks to our commitment to conditions for success in the athletic arena as well as our student-athletes’ academic pursuits. I’m personally and professionally committed to this comprehensive excellence and want to do my part with the hope that others will join me in completing this important initiative.”

The Morgan Center currently provides Penn State’s nearly 850 student-athletes with academic resources, and career development tools. It’s the same center that provided each student-athlete with iPads in the fall.

“It is a transformational time for Penn State Athletics under the direction of Sandy Barbour,” said assistant athletic director and Nittany Lion Club leader Mark Wharton. “Her commitment to the student-athlete experience is paramount to her leadership. Sandy’s gift shows her pledge to make these facility projects a reality.”

Barbour’s donation is further proof of the university’s and athletic department’s commitment to academic excellence in student-athletes at Penn State. Nittany Lions have earned a host of academic honors, and in Oct. the NCAA revealed that Penn Staters Graduation Success Rate of 89 percent highly placed above the national average of 82 percent. Last fall, the football team set academic records as well.