CLEVELAND, OH -- The Kresge Foundation of Troy, Michigan has awarded a $950,000 challenge grant to John Carroll University towards the construction of the Dolan Center for Science and Technology.  The Dolan Center is the major part of a $66.4 million project designed to enhance the stature and growth of science, mathematics and technology programs and facilities at John Carroll University.  The Kresge Foundation grant challenges the university to complete fundraising for the project through broad-based support from alumni and friends by January 1, 2004.

"We are extremely pleased to be selected for this prestigious award," said Peter K. Anagnostos, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations at John Carroll University.  “This was a very competitive process and The Kresge Foundation’s grant reflects the progress and success we have made in securing nearly $55 million in philanthropic support for the Dolan Center for Science and Technology to date.  This generous grant moves us closer to the completion of a project that promises to be an essential addition to our campus and to the Greater Cleveland business, teaching and research community.

"The Dolan Center is a superb facility that will enrich our academic programs, help us compete even more favorably for top students, attract top-flight faculty, and provide state-of-the-art facilities for learning and research,” said Anagnostos.  "We are grateful for the generosity of The Kresge Foundation and for their support for this center."

In addition to housing the departments of biology, chemistry, physics, psychology and mathematics and computer science, the Dolan Center will serve the wider community with a program for elementary and secondary school science teachers, space for entrepreneurs in science, conference facilities, underground parking, and a 12,000-square-foot glass-encased atrium that can accommodate academic and social functions for students, faculty, alumni/ae and friends.

The campaign to construct this premier science facility began in March 2000 with a leadership gift of $20 million from Charles and Helen Dolan and family.  Ground was broken for the Dolan Center in June 2001.

This 265,000 square-foot facility will contain 79 research labs, 21 teaching labs, 18 classrooms, a 250 seat auditorium, science galleries under skylights, and a grand atrium.

Set for completion in fall 2003, the construction of the Dolan Center for Science and Technology is an integral part of John Carroll University’s current capital campaign, “Choosing the Greater Good: The Campaign for the Foundations of John Carroll University.”  When the campaign ends on December 31, 2003, the university will have met the most ambitious fund-raising goal in its history: $125 million.  Heavily focused on endowments and facilities, “Choosing the Greater Good” has raised over $105 million to date.

The Kresge Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Troy, Michigan, created by the personal gifts of Sebastian S. Kresge.  Grants are made to institutions dedicated to higher education, health and long-term care, arts and humanities, human services, science and the environment, and public affairs.  Funded projects involve construction, renovation or acquisition of facilities.  At the time of the September 2002 grant announcements, the Foundation had awarded 127 grants in 2002 for a total of $80,851,000.  Through grants, The Kresge Foundation focuses on assisting institutions by expanding their base of donor support.  In 2001, the Foundation reviewed 643 proposals and awarded grants totaling $111,467,000 to 165 charitable organizations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and England.
John Carroll University, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a coed liberal arts university grounded in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. The university has some 3,500 plus undergraduates and just over 800 graduate students.  John Carroll University is ranked seventh among Midwestern universities within its Carnegie Foundation classification (Master’s Colleges and Universities I) in U.S. News & World Report’s annual college guide.   Originally founded as St. Ignatius College in 1886, the university was renamed in 1923 to honor America’s first Catholic bishop, John Carroll of Maryland. John Carroll is one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities located in the United States.

For more information about the Dolan Center for Science and Technology, and a real-time view of the construction site, visit the John Carroll web site at www.jcu.edu.

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