Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

An Extraordinary Boost to Club Sports From Alumni Gift to Forever Orange Campaign

Friday, September 13, 2024, By Eileen Korey
Share
alumniBoard of TrusteesForever OrangeNewhouse School of Public CommunicationsPhilanthropyWhitman School of Management

Beth and Steve Ballentine

When Steven “Steve” W. Ballentine ’83 recalls his years playing club volleyball at Syracuse University, he remembers the fun, comradery and deeply satisfying sense of belonging it created for him. He also remembers the challenges: “Club sports didn’t receive University funding back then. I remember each of us on the team had to chip in $5 so we could travel to play at the University of Rochester. We brought our sleeping bags to my parents’ home and slept there when we travelled to Philadelphia.”

Those memories helped lay the foundation for the most recent gift from Steve and his wife, Beth (Shuman) Ballentine ’83, both of whom love sports and their alma mater. The nearly $2 million gift is part of the Forever Orange Campaign and will be used to create a dedicated field with lights for club sports and an endowed fund to support club sports programs and participants who might need help with fees, equipment and travel expenses.  In recognition of this transformational gift, Syracuse University’s Club Sports Program has been named the Ballentine Club Sports Program.

Steve, an investment advisor by profession, and Beth, a published writer and essayist, describe sports as “very important to us as a family,” with both of them playing on sports teams throughout adulthood. Beth played on a women’s ice hockey team for nearly 20 years. Steve is a competitive tennis player. “We’ve made lifelong friends through sports,” says Beth. “For me, it’s about physical health, connections with people and sisterhood.”

The couple has also maintained strong connections to their alma mater through service and philanthropy. They provided lead gifts for the establishment of the Ballentine Investment Institute at the Whitman School of Management and have supported other initiatives in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and Athletics. Beth majored in advertising at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Steve received a degree in business administration with dual majors in finance and accounting from the Whitman School, where he is a member of the Advisory Council. He has been a member of the University’s Board of Trustees since 1998, currently serving on the Executive, Investment and Endowment and Athletics Committees.

“Steve and Beth’s support will create an even more outstanding experience for the hundreds of students every year who find a place of belonging at Syracuse through club sports,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Their generosity will help nurture student success beyond the classroom. It will also encourage more students to integrate fitness, teamwork, and leadership into their Orange experience. I am grateful to the Ballentines for a gift that will improve students’ wellbeing and enhance the student experience.”

As chair of the Board of Trustee’s Athletics Committee, Steve is especially appreciative of the impact athletics has on the student experience. “Growing up, I played everything until I wasn’t good enough to play it at the varsity/JV level, then moved on to another sport—from baseball and basketball to volleyball and bowling. There are so many young people like me who weren’t sports superstars, who played sports in high school and who really miss that part of their lives when they get to college. Finances can stand in their way of participating in club sports.  Beth and I saw the need to address that.”

There are currently 45 club sports teams at the University, with more than 1,500 students participating. Most teams are  organized by student leaders and supported by club sports staff in the Student Experience Division. The Ballentines met with student leaders of the club sport teams to better understand how their financial support could have the greatest impact.  “It was an incredibly eye opening and impressive experience,” says Steve. “They are entrepreneurial leaders, raising funds to book transportation for the teams, sharing ideas, learning from each other.” Beth was impressed by their dedication to helping others and “essentially doing a part-time job for which they don’t get paid, while managing a full course load.”

The Ballentine Club Sports Program Endowed Fund, established through this  gift, will help ensure teams have the resources to enhance participation in post-season competition and playoffs and team leaders have the tools to manage their programs more effectively. “We’re big on teaching someone to fish rather than just handing them the fish,” says Steve. That idea was also foundational to the previous creation of The Ballentine Investment Center, which provided students with the kinds of tools, training and resources to prepare them for a career in finance. Steve’s own career in the financial industry began as an equity analyst and portfolio manager for Prudential Life Insurance Co. of America. In 1989, he founded his own investment management firm, Ballentine Capital Management Inc.

The Ballentine Field for Club Sports will be located on South Campus on grounds that are across from the Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion. “There will be irrigation and lights, so players can practice or compete after classes, when the sun goes down,” says Steve.

The Ballentines look forward to seeing the growth of club sports that present “a huge opportunity for students from all walks of life to come together” and excel beyond the classroom.

About Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit foreverorange.syr.edu to learn more.

 

  • Author

Eileen Korey

  • Recent
  • Newhouse Creative Advertising Students Win Big at Sports and Entertainment Clios
    Friday, May 30, 2025, By News Staff
  • Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars Produce Information Literacy Collab Journal
    Thursday, May 29, 2025, By Cristina Hatem
  • Syracuse Spirit on Display: Limited-Edition Poster Supports Future Generations
    Thursday, May 29, 2025, By News Staff
  • Timur Hammond’s ‘Placing Islam’ Receives Journal’s Honorable Mention
    Tuesday, May 27, 2025, By News Staff
  • Syracuse University, Lockerbie Academy Reimagine Partnership, Strengthen Bond
    Friday, May 23, 2025, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars Produce Information Literacy Collab Journal

Earlier this month, Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars published their first open access information literacy journal, Information Literacy Collab (ILC). It is available on SURFACE, the University’s open access institutional repository. ILC is a diamond open-access publication by and…

Trip to Atlanta Gives Falk Students ‘Real-World’ Opportunities and Connections

The city of Atlanta is home to professional sports franchises in major leagues: Atlanta United FC (Major League Soccer), the Braves (Major League Baseball), Dream (WNBA), Falcons (NFL), and Hawks (NBA). Atlanta also features professional teams in lacrosse, rugby, and…

Syracuse Spirit on Display: Limited-Edition Poster Supports Future Generations

The third annual fiscal-year end poster campaign is a wonderful way to celebrate Syracuse pride, expand your art collection and make a meaningful impact on the Orange community. As a token of appreciation for their generosity, the first 500 donors…

Maxwell Advisory Board Welcomes New Leadership

A Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumna who has supported student and faculty excellence through volunteer service and philanthropy has taken the helm of the Maxwell Advisory Board. Cathy Daicoff  G’79 began her term as chair at the…

Michael J. Bunker Appointed Associate Vice President and Chief of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services

Syracuse University today announced the appointment of Michael J. Bunker as the new associate vice president and chief of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services following a national search. Bunker will begin his new role on July 1, 2025. He…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.