Ribbon Cutting for Fiterman Training Center Set for Feb. 20

Simpson College will host a ribbon-cutting celebration to officially open the Fiterman Training Center at 4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20. Home to Simpson’s women’s and men’s gymnastics programs, the newly constructed $3.1 million facility is located just west of the baseball and softball fields at 805 W. Iowa Ave.

The ribbon-cutting event will feature brief remarks from President Sue Stuebner, as well as others closely connected to the project. The public is invited to attend and enjoy a tour of the facility.

The Fiterman Training Center is named in honor of Steve Fiterman ’68 and his wife, Susie Galenbeck Fiterman ’68, who provided a $1 million gift that vaulted the project to completion. The Fitermans, who started dating as first year students at Simpson and married before their senior years, have faithfully supported the College for more than 45 years. Susie enjoyed her career as a teacher, while Steve, who earned a degree in business and economics, has excelled in real estate development and has served on Simpson’s Board of Trustees since 1995.

“Steve and Susie have been treasured pillars of the Simpson community for as long as anyone can remember,” said Chris Goodale, interim vice president of College Advancement. “They greatly value the history of Simpson and have always been interested in how to make Simpson even stronger in the future. We are incredibly grateful for the Fitermans and their decades of generous investment in Simpson.”

Since debuting as varsity sports in 2021, women’s and men’s gymnastics have thrived at Simpson while attracting dozens of talented student-athletes from all over the country every year. The addition of the Fiterman Training Center positions Simpson to take their gymnastics programs to new heights of distinctive excellence while creating possibilities for other athletic programs to be added in the future.

“Susie and I are just paying Simpson back for the great education we got there and for helping us to find each other,” said Steve Fiterman. “So, we wanted to make this kind of gift. The new facility is such a positive story for everyone involved. Competing at a high level nationally is a big deal for our student-athletes — and Simpson College.”

Simpson men’s gymnastics competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), which includes Army, Navy, William & Mary (VA), Springfield (Mass) and Greenville (IL). Women’s gymnastics is part of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), which features five Wisconsin and three Minnesota schools, along with Simpson.