DES MOINES, Iowa -- In recognition of the tremendous leadership support from Paul and Claudia Schickler, the Courtside Club inside the Knapp Center will be renamed in the Schicklers honor, Drake Athletics announced Saturday night during a timeout of the UNI at Drake men's basketball game.
 
The Courtside Club is the pregame and halftime hospitality space for Drake donors and serves as one of the most used and rented spaces on Drake's campus on non-gamedays.
 
"Paul and Claudia have been instrumental in our Knapp Center campaign. Simply put, the renovation of the Knapp Center is possible because of the Schicklers generosity," Drake athletics director Brian Hardin said. "We are pleased to honor them in this way by having the Schickler name inside of the arena for years to come."
 
To date, the Schicklers are the largest benefactors to the arena renovation campaign and allowed Drake to utilize their name and financial support of the project to create a challenge gift initiative. The Schickler Challenge helped inspire other donations used in the first phase of the arena renovation that resulted in a new seating configuration of the lower level.
 
Paul Schickler, a two-time Drake graduate, having earned a Bachelor of Science in management in 1974 and an MBA degree in 1983, is also a member of Drake's Board of Trustees and is the former DuPont Pioneer president.
 
In addition to Athletics, the Schicklers have also made a leadership-level gift to the Jay N. Darling Institute as part of The Ones: Drake's Campaign for the Brave & Bold. The gift to the Darling Institute will address social, economic, development, and conservation challenges facing rural America. In addition to his resources, Paul has also been an advocate for the project by bringing awareness to others of the Darling Institute at Drake.
 
The most recent gift from the Schicklers to the Knapp Center renovation campaign has helped launch the third phase of improvements to the arena with the goal of completion by the end of 2025. Additional details to the scope of that project will be shared in the months to come.