Thomas, Colby colleges unveil plans for Harold Alfond Foundation grants
Rendering Courtesy / Thomas College
Thomas College said it will use the $13.5 million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation to raise additional funds for investment including a new athletic facility designed by SMRT Architects and Engineers.
Both Thomas College and Colby College, each based in Waterville, have unveiled details of grants they have been awarded from the Harold Alfond Foundation along with their plans for using the funds.
Thomas has received $13.5 million from the foundation, and intends to use the grant to kick off a capital campaign. Colby plans to use its award of $101 million to support development both on and off the campus.
The grants were among $500 million awarded by the foundation to eight Maine schools, research institutes and foundations for education, training and health care.
“Our state faces unprecedented challenges,” said Greg Powell, chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation, in last week's announcement. “In the face of these challenges, we still see a bright, prosperous future for the people of Maine. Today’s grants are to vital, high-performing Maine institutions who will help build that future.”
On Wednesday, Thomas College announced its $13.5 million award from the foundation and said the school will use the money to raise additional funds through a new campaign called Guarantee the Future.
The campaign has a goal of $27 million and aims to invest in scholarships and affordability, academic and student support programs; and a new athletic facility. Lachance noted that the effort is more than twice the school's last campaign, and has less than $1 million left to raise.
A Thomas College spokesperson said that SMRT Architects and Engineers is the architect for the athletic facility, but was unable to share any further details.
The school said it will also use the grant to launch new majors in business analytics and digital media as well as to enhance student retention programs, expand affordability initiatives and forge deeper academic and employer community partnerships through the Harold Alfond Institute for Business Innovation.
"The foundation’s historic gift to Thomas College is a true vote of confidence in both the college’s vision of providing unparalleled professional and career development that is affordable and grounded in a solid foundation of business, technology and innovation and our college’s legacy of producing the workforce to catalyze economic growth,” said Thomas President Laurie Lachance, a 2015 Mainebiz Next List honoree.
Thomas College puts a priority on grooming students for career success as detailed in a July 2018 Mainebiz cover story.
Colby's plans for $101M grant
On Thursday, Colby College said it has received $101 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation to support its ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown Waterville and the development of its new state-of-the-art athletics center, which opened in August.
It's also building a downtown Waterville arts collaborative building that aims to transform a block of long-vacant Main Street buildings into an artistic hub.
Colby has longstanding ties to the late Harold Alfond, founder of the Dexter Shoe Co. and the husband of Dorothy “Bibby” Levine Alfond, a Colby alumna from the class of 1938. The couple's commitment to Colby, Waterville and Maine as a whole continues through the foundation's work, the school said.
Dozens of Alfond and Levine family members attended Colby over the last century, and Harold Alfond received an honorary doctorate from the college in 1980.
“The Harold Alfond Foundation and the Alfond family have made an indelible mark not only on Colby but on this region and the entire state of Maine,” Colby President David A. Greene said in Thursday's news release.
“What I love most about the Foundation’s philanthropy is how it directly benefits the people of Maine while at the same time fostering connections between the grantees and their communities," he added. "That is certainly true at Colby, where the people of this area will experience the long-lasting impact as the downtown revitalization efforts come fully to fruition and as we are able to welcome our community into the beautiful Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center.”
Construction of the $200-million Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center included more than 80 contractors, nearly 50 of which were Maine-based. Additionally, almost $120 million of the overall cost of the project went to businesses within the state, the school said.
Hopkins Architects was the lead design architect on the project while Sasaki served as the architect of record and the general contractor was Consigli.
Colby said funding from the Harold Alfond Foundation is also a significant part of the school's Dare Northward campaign that has raised $555 million so far, representing nearly 75% of its goal.
The campaign supports a number of initiatives, including a program that makes access to internships, research and global experiences a priority.
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