GREENSBURG, PA- The Trustees of the Richard King Mellon Foundation have awarded a $1.5 million grant to Seton Hill University in support of its new Recreation Complex. Groundbreaking for the facility on the University’s Greensburg campus is scheduled for May according to JoAnne Boyle, Seton Hill President. The Richard King Mellon Foundation’s gift represents the largest received to date for the $6.5 million Recreation Complex and brings the total amount raised for the project to more than $3.5 million.

“We are grateful for the continued leadership support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation,” Boyle said. “The Foundation has been devoted to Seton Hill for many years and played a significant role in the renovation and restoration of our Administration Building. The gift for the Recreation Complex comes at a pivotal time for Seton Hill. With our enrollment now topping 1,500 students, the facility will have a major impact on our ability to recruit and retain talented students with an interest in athletics or life-long fitness and wellness activities. Students and members of the Seton Hill community will have a top-notch facility.”

Seton Hill hosts seven National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) athletic teams for women including basketball, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, golf, and cross country. The University currently hosts two NAIA teams for men including soccer and golf; and, recruiting is underway for men’s basketball, baseball, cross country, and tennis. Seton Hill’s program has produced athletes who have been nationally ranked in every statistical category, and named Academic All Americans.

The three-story Recreation Complex, designed by CelliFlynnBrennan 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 architecture of the new facility will echo the Tudor style of Sullivan Hall providing continuity between the historic and new buildings on 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, and a running track.

Michele Ridge, the University’s Board Chair, added, “The Seton Hill community deeply appreciates the continued support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation. The gift for our Recreation Complex brings our fund-raising appeal to the half-way mark and positions us well for completing the building project by the start of the 2004 academic year. We are delighted by the Foundation’s vote of confidence in our efforts.”

Seton Hill, chartered in 1918, is a leading coeducational Catholic liberal arts university with more than 30 undergraduate programs and 7 graduate programs, including an MBA. Seton Hill brings the world to its students through its distinguished lecturers and nationally and internationally renowned centers. For more information visit www.setonhill.edu or call 1-800-826-6234.