Challenge Grant set for University’s new Recreation Complex

GREENSBURG, PA- A $400,000 challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation to Seton Hill University will support the construction of the University’s new Recreation Complex.

"The Kresge Foundation Challenge Grant comes at a pivotal time for Seton Hill," said JoAnne Boyle, Seton Hill President. "Our enrollment has now exceeded 1,600 students and our old gym will no longer serve the many students who wish to use campus facilities for fitness and athletics. We are grateful for this challenge and eager to respond. Kresge’s vote of confidence in Seton Hill will inspire our alumni and friends and enable us to strengthen our fund-raising capacity for the long term."

According to Christine Mueseler, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, "Because the Kresge Foundation criteria are so stringent this first ever Challenge Grant endorses not only the project but Seton Hill’s strategic plan, fiscal strength and distinctive academic programs."

Michele Moore Ridge, the University’s Board Chair, added, "The Kresge Foundation grants are based on the strength and stability of an institution, both academically and financially. The validation that the Foundation’s Challenge Grant affords Seton Hill’s efforts is noteworthy as it will further enhance the credibility and prestige of Seton Hill University among its alumni, friends and the national funding community."

The challenge grant stipulates that Seton Hill raise an additional $1,095,280 in contributions by March 1, 2005 to complete funding for the $6.7 million project. The University has already raised (including the Kresge Challenge Grant) more than $5.6 million from individuals, foundations and corporations.

The three-story Recreation Complex, designed by Celli-Flynn Brennan Turkall Architects and Planners and to be built by Building Systems, Inc. will be located between Sullivan Hall and Bayley Hall on Seton Hill’s campus. The centerpiece of the 44,000 square-foot Recreation Complex will be the competition gymnasium seating 1,000. Other features of the facility include intramural courts, aerobic and fitness rooms, a running track, locker rooms and athletic department offices.

At the time of the September, 2003 grant announcement, The Kresge Foundation had awarded 99 grants in 2003 for a total of $62,490,600. It will continue to make new grant commitments during the balance of the year. John E. Marshall, III, President and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, indicated "In this cycle of grantmaking, our Trustees were pleased to support a range of organizations reflecting almost the entire breadth of the nonprofit sector. This diverse group is responding to the new challenges presented by their communities or sustaining activities that have demonstrated their effectiveness."

In 2002, the Foundation reviewed 565 proposals and awarded grants totaling $109,251,000 to 158 charitable organizations in 33 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and England. Grants are made to institutions operating in the areas of higher education, health and long-term care, arts and humanities, human services, science and environment, and public affairs.

Grants are made toward projects involving construction or renovation of facilities and the purchase of major capital equipment or real estate. Grant recipients have raised initial funds toward their respective projects before requesting Foundation assistance. Grants are then made on a challenge basis, requiring the raising of the remaining funds, thereby insuring completion of the projects.

The Kresge Foundation is an independent, private foundation created by the personal gifts of Sebastian S. Kresge. It is not affiliated with any corporation or organization.

Seton Hill, chartered in 1918, is a coeducational Catholic liberal arts university with more than 30 undergraduate programs and 7 graduate programs, including an MBA. For more information visit www.setonhill.edu or call 1-800-826-6234.