Dear members of the Colgate community,
After more than three years of visioning, planning, raising funds, and collaborating with neighbors and local and state officials, I am very pleased to announce that Colgate’s board of trustees has given final approval for project costs to build a new Center for Art and Culture (CAC) in the Village of Hamilton.
Designed by renowned architect David Adjaye, the $21-million, 17,000-square-foot center will be as visually stunning as it will be notable for the art, culture, and educational opportunities it will bring to our region. In addition, the center is projected to have an estimated annual economic impact of $4 million in the community and will drive more economic activity and create many jobs in central New York. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
Many people deserve credit for bringing this project to life. Crucial financial support and expertise for the project have come from Nancy Crown P’10, member of Colgate’s board of trustees, and Mark Falcone ’85, P’12, a trustee emeritus.
The CAC initiative has engaged members from across our community over time to get us to this important moment of trustee approval. Professor Linck Johnson deserves special mention for his unwavering commitment to the project, having led the original committee work to conceive of the CAC and now continuing to help that vision evolve. Doug Hicks has ably led the building committee to achieve design drawings and to move forward into construction planning and educational programming. Professors Mary Ann Calo, Dewitt Godfrey, Carol Ann Lorenz, and Jordy Kerber have dedicated countless hours to developing plans for the CAC that will support the educational missions of the Picker Art Gallery and Longyear Museum of Anthropology. Anja Chavez, Jill Shaw, and other members of the Picker and Longyear teams have creatively contributed to the planning.
I also want to acknowledge Hamilton Mayor Margaret Miller and Joanne Borfitz for their community planning efforts. Annie Angueira, Joe Bello, and Trish St. Leger have been invaluable in their construction planning. The advancement team has dedicated themselves and continues to work to raise financial support for the CAC. And many thanks also to Brian Hutzley and Bruce Moseley whose good work helped garner a $750,000 grant from the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council (REDC). You can read that story here.
Read more about trustee approval of the CAC in this web story.
-President Jeffrey Herbst