The multi-floor Anderson Arena construction project on Oct. 17, 2024. The University of St. Thomas announced a $20 million gift towards the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena on Thursday. (Evan Neubauer/The Crest) 
The Ryan Family donated $20 million toward the construction of the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena on Thursday. (Evan Neubauer/The Crest) 
The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena as of Oct. 17, 2024. (Evan Neubauer/The Crest)
The University of St. Thomas announced a $20 million gift toward the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena Thursday.
Joe ‘80, Pat ‘75 and Ann Ryan made the naming donation for the Ryan Family Plaza, taking up the area in front of the arena.
“We are profoundly grateful for the support of the Ryan Family. They epitomize what it means to be Tommies, and with this gift they are making a huge impact on the future of our university for generations to come,” University of St. Thomas president Robert Vischer said in a press release.
The Ryan family is the same name behind Ryan Companies, the management company behind the construction of Anderson Arena and other university buildings like Frey Residence Hall and the Center for Well-Being.
“We believe in the mission and vision of the University of St. Thomas, and the impact that this project will have on the entire campus community. We are so grateful for what our families have received over the past 60 plus years from the University, and are blessed to be able to give back,” Joe Ryan said in the same press release.
Since crews broke ground, the arena has been caught up in a legal saga that reached as high as the Minnesota Supreme Court. That story can be read here.
The full recap of the arena’s construction up to September can be read here.
Adam Mueller can be reached at muel7541@stthomas.edu.