The Foundation of President Calgaard's Tenure
During Calgaard’s 20-year tenure as president, he convinced the Board of Trustees "to make extensive renovations and additions to the then Earl C. Sams Center" in the 1990s (Richburg, 1990). The new complex would have the name after “William H. Bell, a former trustee. Bell served approximately 20 years on the Board and died of cancer last year (Richburg, 1990)." The Bell Center would cost Trinity approximately “$12 million to complete (Richburg, 1990)." The funding for the project would come from trustees, individuals, corporations, and other solicited contributors. Dr. Calgaard arguably had an everlasting impact on Trinity athletics and the University. This impact was enormously due to him developing and approving the plans for the William H. Bell Center. These additions can be observed through its state of the art condition when it was initially complete. The finished product helped numerous athletic programs with an athlete’s performance, an appeal in the recruitment process, and the student’s well-being. In addition to the Bell Center renovation, Calgaard "oversaw the South Campus Expansion Project (Master Plan, 2019)." This project included the installation of new softball and soccer fields, renovations to an outdoor swimming pool, resurfacing of the tennis courts, and the Jesse H. Jones Recreation Area complete with a new intramural field and a walking trail. Many credit Calgaard with transforming Trinity into a residential University that “greatly improved the sense of community among students, raised admissions standards and increased the geographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity" of the student body (Emeritus, 2020). Under Calgaard’s leadership, Trinity became a national leader in Division III intercollegiate athletics.