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UMass Amherst News Office
February
6, 2003
AMHERST, Mass. - Two University of Massachusetts Amherst
husband-wife alumni teams today announced their pledge of
$2 million toward construction of a new Integrated Sciences
Building on the campus. The gift is the first major private
contribution for the science facility.
The $2 million pledge was made by Kathleen and Robert Mahoney,
both of whom graduated in 1970; and Barbara and Richard Mahoney,
who graduated in 1955. Robert Mahoney is a University of Massachusetts
Trustee and Vice Chairman of Citizens Financial Group. Richard
Mahoney is a Distinguished Executive in Residence at the Weidenbaum
Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy at Washington
University in St. Louis and retired Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of the Monsanto Company.
"Like many of our fellow alums, we were the first generation
in our family to attend college," Robert Mahoney said.
"For the Mahoney brothers, UMass was our only hope for
a college degree. As President Bulger says about UMass, 'It's
all there'. UMass was there for the Mahoneys and through this
gift, I know it will continue to be there for young scientists
in the years to come."
Added Richard Mahoney: "The Integrated Sciences Building
will place UMass in the forefront of research institutions
that are making valuable discoveries by breaking down the
artificially created barriers between chemistry and the life
sciences. It is a sobering thought that we are only now following
the lead provided by nature - Mankind, animals, and plants
got there first."
University Chancellor John V. Lombardi said: "The Mahoney
family has made an important and direct contribution to the
core function of the University - teaching and research.
Our students and faculty, and the citizens of Massachusetts,
will be the beneficiaries. The Mahoneys have planted a seed
that will grow into a cornerstone of UMass Amherst's academic
imperative. We are delighted and thankful, and we will honor
this generosity by carefully nurturing the Integrated Science
Building to its full potential."
President William M. Bulger added: "We are forever grateful
for the gifts that the Mahoney family has provided to the
University of Massachusetts. This family has demonstrated,
time and again, an appreciation of the educational opportunity
that the University of Massachusetts provides to its students.
This gift will create opportunities for a new generation.
It is a fitting tribute on this day as we celebrate a new
era in the University's proud history and call attention to
the University's role in the Commonwealth, nation and world."
Once completed, the Integrated Science Building will be a
defining feature of the Amherst campus. The mission of the
$80 million, 140,000 square foot project is to harness the
campus teaching and research expertise in the fast-emerging
life sciences. Inter-disciplinary teams of students and researchers
in chemistry, biology, animal science, neuroscience and other
disciplines will come together in the facility's classrooms
and laboratories to teach, learn and discover.
The Mahoney family's interest in the sciences dates back
to their college days. Robert, Richard, and a third brother,
William Mahoney were all chemistry majors. As part of an effort
to attract major contributions to the project, the Mahoney
family gift will be matched by $2 million in University capital
funds. The University is expecting to raise $20 million from
private sources for the project.
The project is a critical component of the western Massachusetts
effort to develop its life science capacity. The University
has been working with state and federal officials and the
Baystate Medical Center to develop the life sciences industry
of the region.
In October, President Bulger hosted a meeting with 100 biotechnology
executives to introduce them to the excellence of UMass life
sciences research. In November, U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy,
U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and John Olver, and National Institutes
of Health Director Elias Zerhouni joined UMass officials for
the opening of the Baystate Medical/UMass Amherst Biomedical
Research Institute in Springfield. In December, Dr. Lombardi
participated in the December unveiling of a Massachusetts
Biotechnology Council report on the future of life sciences
in Massachusetts, pointing out that the University and western
Massachusetts offer tremendous benefits to the industry.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst, founded in 1863,
is the flagship of the five-campus University system. Located
on 1,430 acres in one of the most scenic areas of southern
New England, the campus has over 23,000 students and nearly
200,000 alumni.
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