Making a Difference ...............................      The University has been awarded a $500,000 challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation toward completion of its new library, the first new academic building on the uptown campus in 30 years. The grant is a key step in the University’s efforts to raise a total of $3.5 million in private funds to furnish and equip the new facility and rehabilitate the existing University Library, built in 1962. The University had already raised $1.6 million in gifts from individuals, corporations, alumni, and faculty and staff toward the $3.5 million goal, including $500,000 from Barnes & Noble, which has operated the campus bookstore for 15 years. Barnes & Noble also gave $250,000 for book scholarships for Albany students, for a total contribution of $750,000 to the University.      Under terms of the Kresge grant, the University must raise an additional $1.4 million by January 1, 2000, when the payment will be made.      New York State has provided $26.6 million for construction of the new library, slated to open in July of 1999.      Other private support for the library includes a $50,000 challenge grant from the University at Albany Alumni Association, a $45,000 bequest from Augusta Brown, B.S.’30; $25,000 from Troy Savings Bank and its president and CEO, Daniel Hogarty; and gifts of $10,000 each from Director of Libraries Meredith Butler, the Lewis A. Swyer Foundation and alumni Harold Hanson, B.A.’63; Rex Ruthman,’64, and Edith Quake,’47.      Other gifts include: $250,000 from Coca-Cola. $50,000 from Library Campaign Co-Chair Hans Naumann, chairman and CEO of Simmons Machine Tool Corp. of Albany. $50,000 from the Hannaford Charitable Corp. $15,000 from Rose & Kiernan, Inc.      Three floors of the new five-story library will house nearly 600,000 volumes in the University’s science, mathematics and technology collections. The new library will also house laboratory facilities for computing and digital imaging, information retrieval and instructional technology, electronic multi-media classrooms and seminar rooms; and the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives. For information about the Library Campaign Fund, please contact Carol Bullard at 518-442-5306. For general information about making a gift to the University, contact Sorrell Chesin, toll-free, at 888-226-5600. Back to Cover page Back to Table of Contents John Delano / Dean Falk / Caro-Beth Stewart / Thomas Constantine / Michael Forbes / John McHugh / Robert Bellafiore / Washington Semester Program / James Jaccard / Darcie and Joe Trapasso / News & Notes / Faculty Books