By Tucker Reilly, News Assignment Editor
St. Bonaventure University has received a Higher Education Capital Matching Grant (HECap) from the State of New York for approximately $3 million dollars, to be used for renovations on Plassmann Hall.
In a press release yesterday morning, acting university President Dr. Joseph Zimmer described the necessity of Plassmann’s renovations.
“[This] project will create more modern and instructionally appropriate classrooms, add student gathering spaces, student-instructor and student collaboration spaces and create faculty offices that allow for proximity to classes and collaborative research among faculty across the liberal arts,” said Zimmer.
Plassmann Hall, named after former university president Rev. Fr. Thomas Plassmann, is one of the university’s newest buildings.
The building has undergone several renovations since its construction in 1959, including a basement addition in 1989 and a smaller alteration in 2017.
The most recent renovation, which included new room furnishings and the removal of a wall, was undertaken in order to move the university’s Teaching and Learning Center into the first floor of the building. The newly-established Student Success Center was also added in this renovation.
The newly announced project would be the largest renovation made to the academic building over its lifespan, including changes to “interior construction, electrical, plumbing, and the heating and air conditioning system,” according to yesterday’s press release.
Tom Missel, the university’s chief communications officer, noted that while the grant had been approved, the university remains uncertain about when renovations will actually begin.
The university’s press release stated an anticipated completion date of late 2024.
“All that’s clear right now is we received a state grant for close to $3 million but [we are] not exactly sure of the date we’re beginning,” said Missel.
The Plassmann grant marks the second occasion of Bonaventure receiving funds from New York State within the last several months.
In September of 2020, the university received $200,000 as a part of New York’s Workforce Development initiative, providing tuition aid for the School of Health Professions. New York State’s HECap program, which has provided the Plassmann grant, was instituted in 2005, specifically focusing on “design, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation or equipping of a facility on or near a college campus within the State,” according to the State of New York’s official website.
In this round of funding, the program awarded approximately $60 million to 35 colleges, including Bonaventure.
reillyt19@bonaventure.edu
