Bolstering our
fiscal foundations:
private gifts,
contracts and grants
n Aug. 7, 1995, Robert W. Gore's daughter gave birth to his 11th grandchild. The following morning, Gore, a trustee and 1959 UD alumnus, stepped behind a podium on the University Mall and quietly announced a second birth-this one of a new classroom building to serve current and future students, their children and grandchildren.
With his wife, Sarah I. Gore, Delaware '76M, and his mother, Genevieve W. Gore, Bob Gore donated funds to pay for the $17.5 million facility, which will complete the scenic heart of the campus as envisioned by planners nearly a century ago.
Gore Hall, located on the Mall between Mitchell Hall and Sharp Laboratory, will provide essential, new classroom space supporting advanced multi-media teaching tools. Renowned classical architect Allan Greenberg has designed a stately, distinctive 65,000-square-foot building with high-technology capabilities. Construction of Gore Hall began in October 1995, and the project is expected to be completed by January 1998.
Morton Collins, Delaware '58, helped the University realize yet another dream this year, by contributing $500,000 in support of the new Allan P. Colburn Laboratory. On Oct. 4, the University dedicated the newly renovated laboratory and its
Eva M. Collins Memorial Wing, which includes state-of-the-art facilities for chemical engineering students and faculty. The space, donated by Collins and his daughters, Melissa Collins and Kristy Swartz, honors the memory of his late wife. Colburn Laboratory, named for nationally prominent chemical engineer and former chairperson of the Department of Chemical Engineering Allan P. Colburn, required the generosity of numerous individuals. Eight contributed gifts of more than $100,000, and total private contributions for the $22 million project exceeded $7 million. The laboratory stands as testament to the strength of the University's chemical engineering program, which was described as "distinguished," ranking eighth among 93 comparable programs evaluated last year by a prestigious committee of the National Research Council.
Donations by Gore, Collins and others are just a few examples of private gift-giving, which topped $23.6 million for F.Y. 1996. Many private donors support a wide array of scholarships and academic programs at the University. The $5.4 million renovation of three buildings used by the
Department of Art, for instance, will be covered in part by $2.7 million in private and University funds. In 1995, MBNA America pledged $2.5 million toward a new 46,000-square-foot facility for the College of Business and Economics, with the understanding that the state will contribute another $11 million
to pay for the $15 million building. The remaining cost of MBNA America Hall will be covered by private donations, including a $1 million gift from
Chaplin Tyler of Hockessin and gifts from regional corporations such as J. P. Morgan & Co., Wilmington Trust, Delmarva Power, PNC Bank, the DuPont Co. and CoreStates Bank.
These gifts will provide critically needed space for the B&E college, which now serves 1,775 undergraduate student majors and more than 500 graduate majors. Private donations also will pay for the renovation of aging Purnell Hall. MBNA America Hall will be completed by next fall.
|
