Wayne State University has announced plans to add both men’s and women’s hockey as part of an overall upgrade in the school’s athletic department. Under the proposal put forth by unversity president Irvin Reid, WSU’s entire sports program would move up to Division I from its current Division II membership.
A new, 7,000-seat multipurpose arena would also be built, and would house the two hockey teams as well as basketball. Membership in the CCHA has been mentioned by WSU officials, though that conference has recently added Nebraska-Omaha to its roster.
A new student fee of $10 per credit hour is part of the plan as well, and would partly be used to fund the additional scholarships and improvements necessary for Division I membership.
Hockey is not expected to begin for two to three years, pending the purchase of materials and equipment and the hiring of a coaching staff.
