September 13, 1996: Volume 38, Number 1

F.W. Olin Foundation Awards Union $9 Million For High-Tech Center

The F.W. Olin Foundation, Inc., of New York City has given $9 million to the College to construct and equip a high-technology classroom and laboratory building.

The new 53,640 square-foot technology center will support computer-aided instruction throughout the College's science and mathematics departments as well as in non-science programs. In addition, it will serve as the home of the Department of Geology and the College's growing Environmental Studies Program. The building is expected to be used by nearly all Union students at some time in their undergraduate careers.

The grant was announced to an enthusiastic crowd at the College's opening convocation on Sunday in Memorial Chapel. The grant is the single largest gift in the College's history.

In making the announcement, the Foundation's president, Lawrence W. Milas, said that "Union College presented a compelling case for our support. The very high quality of its academic programs and faculty were evident throughout our review of its proposal. We were equally impressed with the College's management. All of this, when combined with its need for state-of-the-art teaching space, left no doubt in our minds that this grant would achieve important strategic goals of both the College and the Foundation."

President Roger H. Hull, acknowledging the grant, said, "In one fell swoop, the F. W. Olin Foundation has transformed this historic college. For more than 200 years, Union has been at the forefront of change and technology. Now, thanks to the F.W. Olin Foundation, Union will be able to maintain this emphasis in its third century of service."

The award was kept confidential until Sunday at the request of the Olin Foundation.

The grant is a key element in the College's ambitious $150 million Bicentennial Campaign. It is expected to serve as an important leveraging opportunity for the achievement of the campaign goal.

The $9 million is expected to cover the total cost of constructing the building as well as the cost of needed furnishings and equipment. The Kostecky Group, of Wormleysburg, Pa., is the architect. Construction will begin in early 1997 and should be completed in time for the start of classes in the fall of 1998.

The Foundation's highly competitive building grant program seeks to identify those institutions with building needs that, if satisfied, will enable them to achieve important institutional goals including improved quality and competitive position.

In selecting Union for the grant, the evaluation process included numerous meetings between the College and Foundation representatives, site visits, and the submission of substantial data documenting the facility need and the quality of institutional management.

The Foundation's grants are intended as a strong endorsement of an institution's programs and leadership. Institutions selected to receive building grants are seen as being "on the move" in terms of academic quality and the institutions with which they compete.

The F. W. Olin Foundation was established in New York in 1938 by Franklin W. Olin, the industrialist. The Foundation has a current net worth of more than $300 million. Since its founding, the Foundation has made grants to fund the construction of seventy buildings representing more than 3.5 million square feet at fifty-six colleges and universities across the country. It is the only U.S. foundation that limits its grant program to the support of the physical facility needs of independent colleges and universities. Such grants cover the entire cost of constructing the new facilities as well as the furnishings and equipment needed to support the programs that will be housed in them.

In addition to Milas, who is based in New York City, the other directors of the Foundation include William B. Horn and William J. Schmidt of Minneapolis and William B. Norden, also of New York City.

Building highlights:

-- Two collaborative computer classrooms, one for 36 students, the other for 16.

-- Laboratories and classrooms equipped for computer-intensive instruction, each student having computer access.

-- A multi-media auditorium with the most modern electronics, including satellite conferencing, CD-ROM, VCR, videodisk, large-format video-data display.

-- Laboratories outfitted for instruction in physics, biology, chemistry, environmental studies, engineering, and mathematics.

-- A high-tech learning center intended for campus-wide use of computers and study spaces with 24-hour-per-day access to Schaffer Library's instructional technology center.

Appearance:

A three-story, cylindrical main lobby will lead, in all directions, to students engaged in activities in a variety of laboratories, computer classrooms, and a high-tech learning center. The shape of the main lobby echoes the rounded form of the Nott Memorial. Building materials will be similar to those used in adjacent buildings. Atop the lobby will be a cupola housing a remote-controlled telescope. The Olin Center will be U-shaped, with its main entrance facing west toward Library Field.

Site:

North end of campus, bounded by the Murray and Ruth Reamer Campus Center, the Social Sciences Building, Schaffer Library and the existing Science and Engineering Center.

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