The Ohio State University Mansfield celebrated on Thursday evening with the dedication of the new Bromfield Library and Information Commons, and the reaching of its $3 million capital campaign goal.
Funded in large part by community donors through the “But for Ohio State Mansfield” campaign, the 23,000 square-foot space includes a library instruction classroom and six private group study rooms, as well as collaborative seating areas throughout the space. Faculty will have use of a media center with a sound studio to create multimedia for classroom use and distance learning courses.
“It’s a one-stop shop for research, writing and technology help,” said English Professor Susan Delagrange, who led support efforts for the Bromfield renovation. “It’s a place where students have access to technology and other resources they may not have at home.”
Donors and other community members who helped make the renovations a reality were in attendance at Thursday evening’s dedication ceremony. Dr. Stephen Gavazzi, Dean and Director at Ohio State Mansfield, noted the new space is shared by Ohio State Mansfield and North Central State College, but is also available for business and community programs.
“All of the communities that surround us, we want them to see this as a place for them and their constituents to come,” said Gavazzi.
Many study rooms and instructional areas are named for their donors, such as the Learning Collaborative Classroom funded by a $300,000 grant from the Richland County Foundation. The building itself will be named Conard Hall in gratitude for the $500,000 gift from the John & Pearl Conard Foundation. Other donors include Mechanics Bank, Richland Bank, CenturyLink, FirstEnergy, and the Shelby Foundation.
“For every name you see on the door of a sponsored room here, there are dozens of generous faculty, staff or community members who paid tens or hundreds or thousands of dollars to make possible this gift of Bromfield Library and Information Commons to the students of Ohio State Mansfield and North Central State College,” said Delagrange.
Campaign co-chair John Riedl noted faculty and staff gifts were also hugely important in the campaign.
“The fact that 95 percent of faculty and staff gave was an important indicator to other donors that this campaign was worth supporting,” said Riedl.
In addition to the completion of the Bromfield Library, Gavazzi noted more than $600,000 has been pledged for scholarships in the But for Ohio State Mansfield campaign. This money will create the new NCSC Buckeye Scholarship, the new Tyger Scholarship, the new Board Leadership Scholarship, and the new Jack Hire Scholarship. In addition, the Gorman family has helped establish a new Business Internship Program endowment, where students participate in internships throughout the academic year and get paid while gaining hands-on experience in engineering, business and other trades.
Riedl and fellow campaign co-chair Pam Siegenthaler thanked a long list of participants in the renovation process, and Gavazzi concluded the evening’s remarks with a round of applause for everyone involved.
“There’s nothing else like this in Mansfield,” said Gavazzi in December during the renovation process. “Our students will have access to the resources they need to help them succeed in college and beyond.”
“There’s nothing else like this in Mansfield,” said Dean Stephen Gavazzi in December during the renovation process. “Our students will have access to the resources they need to help them succeed in college and beyond.”
