Assumption Receives Second Largest Gift in History of College in Support of New Academic Building

Assumption College announced today that it has received the lead gift for the College’s new academic building. Michael Tsotsis, a 1971 Assumption graduate, and his wife, Dorothy, have given the second largest gift in the history of the College in support of the new academic building. In recognition of their generous gift, the building will be named the Tsotsis Family Academic Center, an ambitious endeavor that will provide a state-of-the-art and distinct learning center for Assumption students.

“Assumption College provided me with a firm foundation through which Dot and I raised a special family and built a successful business,” said Michael Tsotsis.  “The College’s new academic building will serve as a focal point of learning on campus where students will be inspired and challenged in the course of their undergraduate studies.  As an Assumption graduate, I have tried to leave a positive impact on my alma mater, whether through volunteering or encouraging other Alumni to also be supportive of Assumption. Dot and I feel privileged to leave a tangible mark in the history of the College and that our name – our passion for Assumption- will live on through this building. “      

“We are grateful to Michael and Dorothy for their generous gift, as well as the other alumni, benefactors and organizations who have contributed more than $14.4 million in support of the new building,” said Francesco C. Cesareo, Ph.D., president of Assumption College. “Since graduating from Assumption, Michael has remained committed to the College, a reflection of the lifelong impact of the transformative education he received at Assumption. As the namesake of the new academic building, his family will inspire Assumption students who, in this building, will realize the integration of the classic liberal arts tradition with professional formation. We anticipate that the students who are educated in this building will have the same transformative experience that characterized Michael’s four years at Assumption.”

For 21 years, Michael has devoted his time and expertise to the growth of Assumption College as a former member of the College’s Board of Trustees. Under his visionary leadership as the former chair of the Board’s University Advancement Committee, the College has raised critical resources to provide for the students and faculty of Assumption.

This 62,000-square-foot Tsotsis Family Academic Center 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 that will accommodate in excess of 400 people; as well as faculty offices for the Business Studies Department, Assumption Core Texts and Enduring Questions Program, the Honors Program, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and a new Center for the Study of Ethics. To date, $20.1 million—which includes funds designated for the new building—has been raised during the silent phase of the capital campaign.

In September, just five months after breaking ground, the College hosted a beam-signing ceremony in which hundreds of students, staff, and faculty signed the last I-beam before it was placed over what will be the entrance to the new building.