Fritz B. Burns Foundation Awards $1.8 Million Grant for
Construction of Albertus Magnus Science Hall
(Winter 1998-1999 Newsletter)
On February 1, 1999, the trustees of the
Fritz B. Burns Foundation notified the College that the Foundation
had agreed to the College's grant proposal to provide the
necessary funds for construction of Albertus Magnus Science
Hall. The total amount of the grant comes to $1.8 million
and will be provided in equal installments over six years.
"We are ecstatic," said President
Thomas Dillon. "This grant couldn't have come at a more
opportune time and is the answer to many, many prayers. We
are so very grateful to the generosity of the Foundation trustees.
Without their substantial support, this College would not
be what it is today."
With the expansion of the student body to
246 students, the College faces an urgent need for more classroom
space and for a new building to replace and upgrade its facilities
for experimental science. The modular building which currently
houses the science laboratories is over 20 years old and had
a projected useful life of 10 years when the College acquired
it in 1978.
Named in honor of St. Albert the Great, the
patron saint of science and the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas,
Albertus Magnus Science Hall will be a 15,000 sq. ft., two-story
structure containing five laboratories (two for biology, two
for chemistry and one for physics) and four discussion rooms.
The two-story naturally-lighted atrium will feature a Foucault
pendulum, and the corridors will be lined with display cases
for scientific specimens and displays.
The Burns Foundation has been particularly
generous to the College over the years, having provided funds
for the construction of Blessed Serra Hall, as well as for
the College's scholarship fund. The gift for Albertus Magnus
hall amounts to the second largest gift in the College's history.
While the Foundation will provide the bulk
of the funds for the estimated $2.75 million Hall, substantial
assistance was initially provided through gifts of $300,000
from the Weingart Foundation, a $100,000 challenge grant from
the Hilton Foundation, a $100,000 gift from Dr. and Mrs. William
W. Smith, a $25,000 gift from The Richard Carlton Seaver Foundation,
a $25,000 gift from Mrs. Ray Hommes, $19,000 from Mr. &
Mrs. J. Peter Grace, $10,000 from Margaret Sibert, and $9,000
from Dr. and Mrs. Henry Zeiter. (Dr. Smith is the chairman
of the College's Board of Governors and of the Science Building
Committee.)
The building plans, developed by the Ventura,
California architectural firm of Rasmussen & Associates,
call for a simple, efficient and beautiful mission-style structure
that harmonizes with the other buildings on campus. Construction
has already begun, and is expected to take nine months, just
in time for the opening of school in September, 1999.
And The Chapel?
We are still seeking funding for the construction
of a permanent chapel on campus. While a permanent chapel
has always been a high priority for the College, reflecting
its commitment to the ultimate priority - the worship of God
- the College has been able to establish other permanent buildings
on campus to the degree in which funds were specifically available
for those buildings and to meet dormitory and classroom needs
for a growing student body. It is hoped that funds will be
available specifically for the construction of a permanent
chapel in the near future, especially as the student body
is outgrowing current chapel space.
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