Nazareth University is awarded a $3.1M grant from New York State’s HECap grant program for residence hall renovation

Two of Nazareth University’s first-year residence halls are undergoing renovation to elevate student inclusion and accessibility thanks to a grant of $3.1 million from New York State’s Higher Education Capital Matching Grant program, or HECap. The HECap program is a critical investment in New York’s colleges and universities, spurring economic growth and supporting thousands of local construction jobs in communities across the state.

Nazareth has three residence halls that are home to first-year students; the largest are Kearney Hall, built in 1962, and Lourdes Hall, built in 1958. HECap awarded Nazareth the full request to support the $12.5 million renovation of Kearney and Lourdes halls. Work began in May 2023. Students arrived in fall 2023 to renovated common areas in Lourdes Hall, with better spaces to engage socially and to work on group projects, along with new private, gender-neutral bathrooms on all floors. Each pod includes a toilet, sink, and shower. Work on Kearney common areas and private bathrooms will begin in May 2024 and is expected to be done by the end of 2025.

“These updated bathroom facilities in each hall provide students with more privacy and in turn increased satisfaction with their living environment and accessibility,” said Kim Harvey, Nazareth’s associate vice president for student and campus life and dean of students. “The common areas in the halls were also designed with students’ overall well-being in mind and to support their academic learning environment.”

For accessibility, an elevator is being added in each building — Lourdes by the start of the spring 2024 semester and Kearney by fall 2024. Laundry facilities are being updated in both buildings, too.

HECap enables New York’s independent colleges to invest in their futures and attract students from around the world to study in the Empire State. Since the program began in 2005, it has generated more than $1.3 billion in infrastructure spending across the state and created more than 17,000 jobs, including over 8,700 construction jobs that pay prevailing wage. This impact is multiplied as each institution receiving grant funds commits to investing at least $3 for every $1 provided by the state.

Across New York, independent colleges and universities are major economic engines and generate almost $95 billion in economic impact annually and educate nearly 500,000 students.

Nazareth University is an inclusive community of inspired learners, educators, and changemakers who for 100 years have been driven by a bold commitment to action, empathy, equity, and leading innovation for the common good. Impact experiences are at the heart of a Nazareth education, preparing each student to discover within themselves the potential to cultivate positive change in their life's work, in any career field, and in a world that is constantly evolving and infinitely interconnected.

Our broad academic offerings present a range of study options typical of larger universities, yet achieved in our supportive campus culture. Nearly 2,100 undergrad and 600 graduate students enroll in degree and certificate programs and engage in collaborative, transformative learning experiences, preparing for the professions and society of today and tomorrow. In a learning community that purposefully integrates liberal arts and professional programs, Nazareth University graduates are able to launch a lifetime of impactful leadership in communities and workplaces near and far.

• published: 2023 December
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