By Tiffany Razzano
Prior to the campaign¹s Sept. 28 kickoff party, the college had already collected $8.5 million in donations, a good chunk of the $28 million it hopes to amass for two new buildings. The plan is to raise another $10 million, and borrow the rest through the issuance of tax-exempt bonds, to fund a proposed dormitory and a multi-use ³Public Square,² according to Dr. Drew Bogner, the college¹s president.
The dorm, which would house 150 students, would be the college¹s first residence hall. It would replace a parking lot directly south of Kellenberg Hall, Bogner said. The parking lots to the rear, or west, of the building, as well as the baseball field directly behind it, would be moved to make way for the 65,000-square-foot Public Square, which would include a student center, art gallery, 550-seat theater and multimedia center. Most of the athletic fields would be moved off-campus to a yet-to-be-chosen nearby municipality, while parking would be relocated to the campus¹s outskirts.
Ideally, Bogner said, the residence hall would be completed before the fall 2008 semester, while construction of the Public Square, a much more complicated project, would not begin until 2009.
This is only Phase I of Molloy officials¹ vision for the college. Within the next 20 years, they play to implement phases II and III: additional academic space, a gym expansion, a new dining hall, a new chapel and another residence hall.
³Molloy is a very transformative institution,² Bogner said. ³We haven¹t had a new building on campus for quite some time. We¹re proud to offer the best education possible. This is about our students.²
In fact, the last time Molloy opened a new building was in 1991, when the William J. Casey Center was completed. Bogner said that the college is more than ready, 15 years later, for expansion. The residence hall was suggested by students in 2002, when, in a series of forums, students, faculty, administration and alumni refined the school¹s ³vision statement² for the future. The dorm would be reserved for students with exceptional academic records. The Public Square would serve not only as a place for students to meet, but also as a link to the local community.
³We could probably fill the residence hall two to three times over with current students,² Bogner said. ³It¹s simply what students today want. They value being part of a community.²
Edward Thompson, Molloy¹s vice president for advancement, said school officials hope the addition of a residence hall will make Molloy more attractive to potential New York-area students who live too far away to commute ‹ on Staten Island or at the east end of Long Island, for example. ³Students want the type of education we provide,² Thompson said, ³but they also want the residence life component. We hope to attract a higher-quality student.²
The college also saw the need for group space for students, which the campus currently has very little of. Describing the Public Square as a tech center, Bogner said that the whole building ‹ and, he hopes, the entire campus ‹ would be wireless, allowing students to check out laptops from a librarian with expertise in Internet searches. Students would also be able to create work areas of various sizes with collapsible walls.
Molloy officials are excited about the inclusion of a theater in the Public Square. The college began offering a theater major this fall, and Bogner and Thompson anticipate significant growth in theater as well as in Molloy¹s already active music department.
This theater is also one way the college plans to connect with local communities. Officials hope to invite musical groups and repertory companies ‹ some of which the school is already in discussions with ‹ to perform at the theater on a regular basis. ³Our goal is to become an anchor for the arts on the South Shore,² Bogner said.
Through its growing fine arts programs, the college hopes to attract new benefactors to the capital campaign, Thompson explained. So far, many alumni and friends of the college have stepped up, with 10 gifts of $100,000 or more, as well as many smaller donations. There are many opportunities for donors to have areas of the college named after them, from the residence hall to portions of the Public Square. ³This is a great opportunity to leave a legacy,² Thompson said. ³One hundred and fifty students will have a life-changing experience [living in the residence hall] due to the generosity of donors.²
Thompson added, ³This is an exciting time for the college. Molloy has made some great strides over the last couple of years that have made us a better institution.²
