Scully Center Opens: A New Era for Athletics and Wellness at Trinity

Annika Haley ’26

Sports Editor

The long-anticipated Scully Center officially opened its doors on June 30, 2025, marking the start of a new era for athletics, wellness, and community at Trinity College. The 33,000-square-foot expansion of the Ferris Athletic Center was named in honor of Marlynn V. and William “Bill” P. Scully, whose philanthropy has long supported Trinity’s athletic programs and student scholarships. The Scully Center was designed as a hub where varsity athletes, club teams and recreational students can come together to connect and improve their well-being, securing its place as a cornerstone of campus life for future years to come at Trinity College. 

The Scully family has a long history of philanthropy, from endowing the men’s basketball coaching position to funding golf and football programs as well as establishing scholarships that honor classmates. Additional support came from alumni and families, including Elissa Raether Kovas ’93 and Ted Kovas P’25 (Kovas Squash Center), Raymond J. Beech ’60, P’94 (Beech Leadership Suite), Mimi and Malcolm F. MacLean IV ’92 (MacLean Lobby), and Claire Slaughter Joyce ’86 and Tom Joyce (Champions Terrace).

The new Scully Center offers a wide range of spaces designed to support both athletics and student wellness. Highlights include the Kovas Squash Center, home to seven courts, and the Claire Slaughter Joyce Champions Terrace, a viewing and gathering space overlooking the action. The building also features a new field house, gym, cardio room, viewing gallery, meeting rooms and new coaches’ offices. Beyond varsity sports, the Scully Center was designed to serve the whole Trinity community. 

Alongside a brand new athletic center, Trinity also welcomed a new Athletic Director, Gavin Viano. The Tripod had an opportunity to speak with him about the Scully Center. He reflected on what this moment means for Trinity athletics and the wider community. “Honestly, I think we’re in the process of finding that out,” he said. “Year one will teach us a lot and we’ll use that data to help optimize Scully’s impact in year two and beyond. With that said, there is significantly more space to exercise, meet, gather, study and relax than there was previously. We’ve taken a lot of the spatial and programming burden off of the Ferris Center and we’ve done it in a way that will allow for potential improvements to now be possible for Ferris and possibly our field house in the years to come. While I’m brand new to the College, I want to thank the people who were involved in fundraising for Scully, as well as those who designed and executed the planning, construction and opening of the building. Those folks deserve so much credit for bringing this vision to life.”

He also spoke about what makes the facility unique: “I think the best part about Scully is how it better connects the athletic and recreational experience at Trinity with the outdoors. The Ferris Center does not have a lot of windows. With Scully, the entire northern side of the building is all windows and has a terrace. Now, we can all see so much of campus and the Hartford skyline as well as all of the activity on our athletic fields. People can exercise indoors and still take in the beauty of our campus. Scully is a major value addition to the exercise experience at Trinity and also showcases how beautiful and vibrant our campus is on a daily basis.”

Looking toward the future, he highlighted how the center will balance athletics, wellness, and community: “The Scully Center creates a natural hub for our community to gather and connect. A great example is the use of Scully for the check-in process of the Class of 2029. Being able to welcome the newest Bantams into this space and having them experience the warmth of our community, was incredible. To me, that event is the blueprint for how to bring folks together beyond athletics and wellness and to also make them immediately feel at home in the space in which they can pursue wellness, recreation and fitness.”