Assumption New Academic Building to Integrate Classic Liberal Arts Tradition with Professional Formation

Assumption hosted a ceremony today to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new academic building on the institution’s Worcester Campus. Dozens of students, faculty, staff and members of Assumption’s Board of Trustees gathered to commemorate this momentous occasion with the turning of dirt and the blessing of the grounds where the new building will stand.

“This new building is more than just bricks and mortar, it will be a visible manifestation of the centrality of the intellectual life of the campus and the mission of the institution,” said Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., president of Assumption. “It will symbolize the integration of the classic liberal arts tradition with professional formation; a melding of philosophies and ideals that will help students grow through immersion in the Catholic intellectual tradition.”

This 60,000-square-foot building will contain 13 high-tech, flexible classrooms of varying sizes, seminar rooms, common study spaces, a 400-seat performance hall, a rehearsal room, a multi-purpose space, faculty offices for the Assumption Core Texts and Enduring Questions Program, the Business Studies Department, the Honors Program, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and a new Center for the Study of Ethics.

“When the Board discussed the institution’s need for a new building, we all agreed that said building must be one that benefits all students,” said Francis J. Bedard, Esq., CPA ’81, chairman of the Assumption Board of Trustees, in planned remarks. “Assumption, through its commitment to a classical and Catholic liberal arts education, is dedicated to educating well-rounded graduates. We are pleased that this building will further these goals, serving as both a crossroads and hub for the institution’s academic and arts disciplines.”

Nearly 12 years ago, the community gathered for a similar occasion to celebrate the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Testa Science Center – a building that serves as a physical example of the learning that takes place on campus and the contributions that Assumption faculty, students and graduates make in the field of science. This new building will ensure that students in Business Studies and the liberal and performing arts will also have access state-of-the-art facilities in which to learn, debate and inspire.

“By combining heart, mind and spirit, this building not only meets Assumption’s eeds and aspirations, but also fulfills the dream of the venerable Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon, founder of the Augustinians of the Assumption, to provide opportunities where a number of disciplines meet and complement one another, where true wisdom is derived by delving into one’s course of study” added Cesareo.

Plans for this building—which will be located in the in the area between Hagan Hall, the Information Technology Building/ Fuller Hall and Switzer Building—were approved by the Board of Trustees at their February meeting. The targeted date of completion for the new building is fall 2017.

Those who participated in the groundbreaking event included Rev. Peter Precourt, A.A. ’70, who delivered the blessing; Provost Louise Carroll-Keeley, Ph.D.; Professor Molly Flynn, Ph.D., Honors Program; Professor Michelle Graveline, D.M.A., Art, Music and Theatre; Professor Marc Guerra, Ph.D., Director of the Assumption Core Texts and Enduring Questions Program; Professor Jim Lang, Ph.D., Center for Teaching Excellence; Professor Joseph Foley, CPA, Business Studies; Professor Jennifer Niece, CPA, Business Studies; Caitlin Morin, Business Studies major; Michael Hoye ’16, Honors Program student; Zachary Karpowith ’19, Assumption Band Student; and Zachary Sneeringer ’19, VOCE scholarship recipient.