A $1 million commitment by the Ithaca College Board of Trustees has provided momentum to an already fast-moving $10.5 million capital campaign to fund expansion of the College's music facilities.
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Marjorie Rooke Schwab ’69, chair of the capital campaign committee for the Center for Music at Ithaca College, talks about the project during recent groundbreaking ceremonies. "If I had to choose a word to describe the project, the word would be ‘exciting,’ " Schwab said. |
Announced St. Patrick's Day during groundbreaking ceremonies for the 55,000-square-foot expansion of Ford Hall, the Thanks a Million Fund demonstrates the board's support for the project as well as its gratitude to President James J. Whalen, "without whose efforts none of this would have come to pass," said board vice chairman and campaign committee member David W. Sass '57.
Sass, addressing some 300 people gathered for the groundbreaking outside Ford Hall, said more than half of the Thanks a Million Fund goal had already been reached, bringing the overall campaign total to about $7.8 million, all of which has been given in Whalen's honor.
"I am deeply grateful for this very special recognition by the board of trustees," said Whalen. "It means a great deal to me personally, but even more important, it reaffirms our board's active commitment to the achievement of significant goals for the College. There can be no substitute for that."
Sass recalled for the gathering a day several years ago when Whalen suggested that board members take a tour of Ford Hall and hear in more detail about the programs going on there. "I think it took a grand total of 15 minutes following that tour for us to agree enthusiastically with the president's recommendation to find a way to build some badly needed and well-deserved additional space," said Sass. "That was the idea. Now, as we break ground, the idea becomes a reality."
The groundbreaking ceremonies began with a Faculty Brass Quintet performance of Gregory Woodward's From Stone to Shining Star. Later, in Ford Hall Auditorium, participants enjoyed a concert by the Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra. The program included a performance of Charles A. Dana Professor of Music Dana Wilson's Concerto for Horn and Orchestra, featuring Gail Williams '73 as soloist.
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