New York State’s Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program (HECap) is providing $2.5 million to the University of Rochester for renovations to the Frederick Douglass Building.
HECap capital grants totaling more than $4 million were announced on Feb. 4 for renovations at the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Nazareth College and St. John Fisher College. HECap, established in 2005, is financed through the Dormitory Authority of New York State and funds capital projects for independent private colleges in New York. For every $1 in state matching funds, independent colleges and universities must provide $3 in support of their projects.
“I’d like to thank New York State and our local government leaders for making this HECap matching fund available for the Frederick Douglass Buildings renovations,” said Holly Crawford, University senior vice president for administration and finance and CFO. “The reinvention of space in the Frederick Douglass building will create significant social and educational benefits for students and University community members by providing new, flexible space for multicultural programming and learning, as well as modernize the last of our River Campus student dining centers.”
Centrally located on River Campus adjacent to Wilson Commons, the renovated Frederick Douglass Building is expected to become another major student hub on campus with new dedicated student gathering space and a state-of-the-art dining facility. It will also be home to the recently established Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center (ICC), and a new Language Center (LC).
“Rochester is home to some of the finest colleges and universities in the state. These vital investments will help ensure that they can continue attracting the best and brightest young minds,” said New York State Assembly Majority Leader Joseph D. Morelle. “Higher education is a pillar of our regional economy and this funding recognizes that important role. I congratulate our local colleges for securing these significant awards.”
“I would like to congratulate the University of Rochester on receiving this $2.5 million grant, which will help improve student life on campus,” said Sen. Joseph Robach. The renovations that will be made to the Frederick Douglass Building, thanks in part to this grant, will provide the hard working and dedicated students at the University of Rochester with a place to unwind, meet their friends between classes and schoolwork, and enjoy a little bit of college life. I am certain this renovation will be first class, as is the case with everything on the University of Rochester campus.”
“Higher education institutions are key drivers of our regional economy,” said Assemblyman Harry Bronson. “This support from New York State will help a number of colleges and universities in the Rochester area move forward with projects that will immediately create jobs while transforming the facilities where our future leaders will learn and grow. I applaud the University of Rochester for leveraging this $2.5 million grant into a $24 million project that will reenergize student life and provide rich experiences in cultural competency and communication.”
The Frederick Douglass Building, built in the 1950s and named for Rochester’s national leader in the abolitionist movement, is the only River Campus facility that has not been renovated or built in the last 10 years. Work has begun on the renovations, which are being done in phases and expected to be complete by August 2016.
Overall, the renovated Frederick Douglass Building will provide modernized, multipurpose space. With over 250 student groups on campus, the reconfigured and more flexible spaces will allow groups to host speakers, programs, and other activities organized for and by students.
The new dining facility is a major overhaul of the current dining center. The reinvented dining space, moved to the first floor of the building, will offer a micro-restaurant style of dining with whole meal or smaller made-to-order options from new food stations. It will also include a kosher kitchen, stations that meet specific food allergy needs, and a more flexible, scaled operation.
The ICC’s location in the Frederick Douglass Building will allow for greater intercultural programming with new seminar rooms, a resource center, exhibition gallery, and access to the kitchen and dining area. The ICC exists to promote cultural awareness and engagement, educate on issues of culture and diversity, and provide opportunities for collaboration among faculty, staff, and students.
The LC is envisioned as a vibrant international environment that will attract language learners, native speakers and heritage speakers and will augment the more than 20 global cultural student organizations that have limited visibility and resources. It will provide technology and support for language learning, scholarship, teaching and research, as well as newspapers, books and magazines from around the world, access to international news broadcasts, radio stations, and regular “programmed coffee hours” for the various languages offered.
