During the 2021-2022 academic year, Utica College has renamed three buildings, the track inside Hutton Sports & Recreation Center (Dome facility) and the career center in dedication to donors.

Senior Advisor to the President and Board of Trustees member George Nehme said in fiscal year 2021, Utica College raised more than $7 million, which is also the largest single amount in private philanthropy in the college’s 75 year history.

Some of the buildings have already been renamed, while others are still awaiting their official ceremonies.

“Beginning with Dr. Casamento when she was first hired as President for Advancement, it was the beginning of the college really focusing a lot of time, energy and effort on the cultivation of alumni and potential donors,” Nehme said. “Our program has matured over time.”

The following buildings and spaces on campus have been renamed: 

• The Newman Center is now the Francis A. Wilcox Intercultural and Student Organization Center
• The Economic Crime and Justice Studies Building has been renamed Lauren and Cora Bull Hall
• The Career and Professional Development Center is now the Jeremy C. Thurston ‘00 Center for Career Readiness
• The Library Concourse will be renamed the John A. Donohue ‘57 Concourse
• The track inside the Hutton Dome will be named after the late Lotis B. Howland

The former Newman Community Center transitioned into the Francis A. Wilcox Intercultural and Student Organization Center with $900,000 from donors. The dedication ceremony was held on Sept. 8, attended by the immediate family of Wilcox and college community members.

The Economic Crime and Justice Studies building has been renamed Lauren and Cora Bull Hall. 

Lauren Bull, a ‘74 alumni and Board of Trustees member, and Cora, provided a $2 million gift to the college that contributed to the construction of the Pioneer Turf and Track and Field Complex. The ceremony for this renaming will be held towards the end of the semester in May.

According to Nehme, the college received a $2.35 million gift from the trust of Lotis B. Howland. The Board of Trustees decided to honor her generosity by renaming the track inside the Hutton Dome.

The home of Common Grounds and the library has been renamed the John A. Donohue ‘57 Concourse in honor of the late alumnus and former member of the Board of Trustees.

The college named spaces on campus in honor of individuals until 2004, when the college recognized the importance in reserving naming opportunities based on a record of philanthropy from the individual, Nehme said.

The previously known Career and Professional Development Center has been retitled the Jeremy C. Thurston ‘00 Center for Career Readiness. The official ceremony will take place towards the end of the semester in May.

Thurston is the chair elect of the Board of Trustees and a member of the family responsible for Thurston Hall’s dedication in 2018, according to Nehme.

“Jeremy comes from a very generous family, and he himself has been very generous, including resources that he directed for the renovation of the career center,” Nehme said.

The process for getting a space on campus, interior or exterior, named or renamed has several steps. Recommendations are made to President Laura Casamento, which the Board of Trustees must approve. 

While each space has varying levels of renovation or construction costs, the standard for a naming gift is when a donor is able to contribute one-third up to half the cost, Nehme said.

The Utica College Science Center, unveiled in a ceremony last semester, has not been officially named. The Office of Advancement is working to renovate the vacant spaces in Gordon Science Center, Vice President of Infrastructure and CIO Matthew Carr said.

“There is a possibility if someone provides a large enough donation, there might be a naming opportunity for the new science center,” Carr said. “Although their donations will be towards renovations of the old building.”

The work of the Office of Advancement towards engaging alumni through the channels of giving, volunteering, attending and connecting are an integral part of the college and often are overlooked by the student body, according to Nehme.

“In that process of engagement, sometimes certain individuals who become involved in the college also have the benefit and the blessings of resources to help out in a significant way by contributing to establish a scholarship that benefits a current student, or giving us resources to help renovate a classroom or actually build a new building,” Nehme said. “It’s everything in between.”