POTSDAM, N.Y. — Clarkson University will use a donation from a 1979 graduate and his wife to help pay for an upcoming $40 million project to renovate the school’s Cora and Bayard Clarkson Science Center.
The donation from Ken and Jeanne Lally directly supports a $5 million investment from New York State’s Higher Education Capital (HECap) matching grant program.
Clarkson didn’t disclose the amount of the Lally’s donation at the donors’ request, Melissa Lindell, director of media relations at Clarkson University, tells CNYBJ in an email.
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Depending on fundraising, the project could start in the next 12 to 18 months, Lindell adds.
Ken Lally earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Clarkson in 1979. He and Jeanne reside in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Ken Lally has served on Clarkson’s board of trustees since 2018. He is the founder of SimuTech Group, Inc., which is headquartered in Rochester. SimuTech Group sells and supports Ansys engineering-simulation software in the U.S. and Canada.
“Clarkson provided me with a lifetime foundation for professional and personal development,” Lally said. “This has resulted in a profound positive impact on my business success throughout my career. Jeanne and I are pleased to support Clarkson’s continuing mission to provide unique opportunities to students to develop and realize their own successful lifelong endeavors.”
Under HECap, colleges must match $3 for every $1 of state funding. HECap provides matching grants to private, nonprofit colleges and universities for projects that enhance educational opportunities for New Yorkers and drive investment in communities across the state.
The expansion and renovation project “reimagines” the existing space and adds another 45,000 square feet to the nearly 110,000-square-foot structure.
The Science Center has had “modest” physical renovations over its lifetime in addition to ongoing updates to research instrumentation. With the Lally’s donation, the new construction will add two stories on top of the west end of the Science Center, where it is currently a two-story structure. The expansion would allow additional space for new labs, design studios, and communal and collaborative gathering spaces. The renovation plans would also update classrooms and laboratories, as well as increase the building’s energy efficiency, Clarkson said.
