St. Thomas Hall Planned In Expansion Windup, 1960

Newspaper article regarding plans for the building of St. Thomas Hall.

1960-01-15

Newspaper clippings

University of Scranton Fundraising

Construction

St. Thomas Hall

University of Scranton Barracks

University of Scranton. Library

Alumni Memorial Hall

Gunster Memorial Student Center

Oppenheim, Richard

Hoban, T. Linus

Architectural drawing

University of Scranton Archives

univscrapbook-b065_0002a

Archival Records

St. Thomas Hall and University Commons

Times Shamrock Communications

[Please note that computer-generated transcripts include formatting, spelling, and grammatical irregularities and errors.]
New Classroom Building Planned by University of Scranton
Here is architect's sketch of new $1,200,000 University
of Scranton modern classroom structure which will replace
the Navy barracks at Linden St. presently used as classrooms. An area-wide appeal for $1,836,000 to finance the
construction, together with balances due on the university's
new library and student center, will be launched in late
Spring. The new classroom building will be four stories high of brick construction to match the University's other new buildings. It will contain 30 classrooms, four laboratories and 60 faculty offices with a wing to provide needed administrative space. Ground-breaking ceremonies will be in the Spring. Robert P. Moran & Associates is the architect-engineering firm for the project.
Cochairmen Named
Class Building Planned In Expansion Windup
A $1,836,000 areawide appeal for expansion of the
University of Scranton was endorsed by the university's
Development Council at a noon meeting yesterday at
Hotel Casey. Organization of the appeal will begin immediately. A general campaign is scheduled for late Spring.
•
Judge T. Linus Hoban, council chairman, said
the money will be used to replace the unsafe Navy-
surplus barracks at Linden St. with a $1,200,000
classroom structure.
The remainder will be applied against a $306,000
balance on the $806,000 library and a $330,000 balance
on the student center, both under construction on the
university campus.
Judge Hoban said that John
P. Barrett, president of Rogers
Motors Lines; Richard Oppenheim, vice president of Scranton Dry Goods Co., and John
R. Simpson, president of the
Third National Bank & Trust
Co., have accepted cochairmanships of the campaign.
•
Edward J. Lynett, editor and
publisher of the Scranton
Times, who served as chairman
of the university's campaign in
1955, will act as honorary chairman. John F. Murphy, vice
president of Northeastern National Bank & Trust Co., has
been named chairman of advance gifts.
The action of the development council yesterday brings
into being plans which its
members approved in 1958 but
which were deferred because
of the community's need to
strengthen its industrial position through the LIFE drive of
last year.
Judge Hoban said that with
the completion of the library
and student center and the erection of the classroom building,
the university will have rounded
out the present phase of its development program.
The Very Rev. John J. Long,
S.J., president of the university,
in summing up the needs of the
university and the proposed
campaign said, "This is quite a
story we have here. I can't pack
into a couple of minutes the
educational story of the past
70 years but I would like to
bring you up to date on what
we have done in the past five
years to give the youth of this
community a most splendid opportunity in higher education.
•
"Because of your own devotion to our young people
and through your generosity,
the community and the university erected the Science
Building in 1955-1956. Since
then, we have added four
units of dormitories, bringing
to the Scranton area 200 students each year who spend
some $300,000 to $400,000
locally.
•
"This we have done through
a government mortgage loan,
repayable, of course. The Student Center Building is now
being finished, with a completion date in May. The alumni
have generously and heroically
of raising $500,000 for the Library, whose total cost will be
approximately $806,000. This
should be finished in July. We
are about to begin another two
units of dormitories costing
$375,000 to $400,000, and we
must now complete our present
phase of building with a classroom building that will cost
$1,200,000.
"Why these buildings? Why
these expenditures? We display
them not in any boasting way
but as a pledge of our determination to give to the people
of Scranton the best possible
university we can. All responsible citizens share with educators the conviction that the
survival and well-being of the
nation depends as much, and
perhaps more, on the strength
of our educational system as
on the strength of military
establishments, and hence, the
community of Scranton, in our
cherished American way
helping ourselves, has assumed
the responsibility, along with
the university, of building up
here in our own area a university of great academic excellence, housed in a plant of
which you and all of us will
be proud.
•
"This is a matter of grave
concern. The ability of man
to govern himself and control
his own destiny has been seriously challenged. Furthermore, the frightening challenge of international communism which has harnessed
the achievement of science to
the purpose of totalitarianism
is great.
"In meeting these challenges
we, the educators, and you, the
citizens, must strengthen our
society to preserve our national
existence and at the same time
our individual freedom. This
we will do in our own community if we give the opportunity to our young people to
develop their talents. Thus will
America stay strong.
"It is a rough road ahead, but
I am confident that the community and the university,
working together, can
accomplish great things for our people of Northeastern Pennsylvania."
Father Long said that with the completion of the second residence hall the University will have living quarters for 300 out-of-town students who will bring to the community
$600,000 annually in tuition
costs and living expenses.
He added that with the erection of the new classroom building, the university will have
spent, during a five-year period.
$5,580,000 in purchase of land
and construction. During the
same period the school spent
annually more than $1,000,000
in operational costs, or a total
of more than $6,000,000.
The university will have spent
at the end of this year more
than $12,000,000, which Father
Long described as a healthy
contribution to the area's economy. He pointed out also that
the university employs 240
faculty members and other personnel and has an annual payroll of $826,719.
The Navy barracks, used as a
classroom buildings, were used
as long as possible while other
essential buildings were erected
around them, Father Long explained. They are temporary
wooden structures, originally
agreed to be used for only 10
years. In addition to being
obsolete, they are a fire-hazard,
overcrowded daily by more than
2,000 students and faculty members, as well as being beyond
the point where repair would
be practical.
The new classroom building,
of brick construction to match
the other new university buildings, will be four stories, containing 30 classrooms, four
laboratories and 60 faculty offices with a wing to provide
needed administrative space.
Ground-breaking will take place
this Spring.
Replacement of the obsolete:
-classroom buildings is a matter
of pride, Father Long said. The
people of the community do not
want their young men educated
in dangerous and inadequate
buildings.
In praising the working alliance between the university and
the community, Father Long
said that the Development Council, as well as the people of the
area, are determined to have
a college here that is second
to none.
Mr. Lynett introduced Judge
Hoban, who presided at the
meeting and asked for a motion
to start the campaign. It was
endorsed enthusiastically by the
more than 80 members of the
council present. Judge Hoban
announced that the alumni campaign for the new library, which
has raised $200,000 among 1,000
of the University's more than
5,000 graduates, will be integrated with the present effort.
He said that Frank J. O'Hara,
director of alumni relations,
will continue the campaign in
areas outside of Scranton.
It was announced that the
title for the campaign will be
"Citizens' Aid for University of
Scranton Expansion" or CAUSE.
The decision to conduct the
campaign was presented to the
Development Council following
its recommendation by the
president's board at an earlier
meeting. Frank Hemelright.
president of the Northeastern
National Bank & Trust Co.,
seconded the motion that V
proposed campaign be put into
action.

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