PROVIDENCE – A Secret Santa, of sorts, provided Providence College quite the present this holiday season.
An anonymous donor has given PC a $5 million gift to support various initiatives to financially support some athletic programs at the college, as well as help finance the construction of the college’s new Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences building.
PC Vice President and Director of Athletics Steven Napolillo announced the new gift Thursday, with the gift, PC says, seeking to impact the college well beyond its athletics programs. This gift comes not long after PC’s athletics program
raised a school-record $7.4 million during the 2023 fiscal year.
PC says the gift is broken down into six categories. The $5 million will help establish two new endowed funds, one to support immediate needs of the men’s basketball program and another to assist students at the college with financial need.
“This gift is a testament to a shared vision for taking Friar basketball to the next level,” PC Head Men’s Basketball Coach Kim English said in a statement. “In a short period of time, I have witnessed the incredible passion and support that Friar fans have for our program.”
The gift will also provide funding for immediate needs for both the women’s basketball team and the men’s hockey team, PC says, as well as support the Ruane Championship fund. That fund, PC says, is used when the college’s teams are competing in their respective NCAA tournaments.
“This generous gift positions Providence College to recruit on the national scale for the highest caliber students and student-athletes,” Napolillo said. “As landscapes change, the impact of this gift will position Friar athletics to continue to compete for championships.”
The gift will also support the current construction of the new Ben Mondor Center for Nursing and Health Sciences. The college back in
June received a $10 million gift from Madeleine Mondor, widow of the late former Pawtucket Red Sox owner to support the facility’s construction.
The building, one of the largest construction projects in PC’s history, will be five stories tall and be 125,000 square feet in size. PC previously said the facility will house teaching and learning environments for clinical nursing simulation, anatomy and physiology labs, and interactive spaces to support engaged student learning inside and outside of the classroom. On the building’s first level, there will also be a chapel and a 100-seat classroom to support other large classes.
Construction on the new nursing and health sciences center is expected to finish by 2025.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
