$1-Million Gift Helps Launch Keene State College Science Center Campaign

KEENE, N.H. 12/3/03 - As walls go up to hide the elaborate skeleton of the new Keene State College Science Center, a gift of $1 million from C&S; Wholesale Grocers has helped launch a fundraising campaign for the building. The announcement of the gift was made at a Dec. 3 press conference by Jim Putnam, president of Markem Corporation of Keene, who serves as chair of the campaign. The new fundraising drive is entitled “Windows into Science, Portals to the World.”

Now transitioning into a new headquarters in Keene, C&S; is the second largest grocery wholesaler and the 11th largest privately held company in the U.S.

“Keene State’s new Science Center promises to bring a new level of opportunity to this region,” said Rick Cohen, C&S; chairman and CEO. “Not only will KSC students profit from this remarkable facility, but area businesses, including C&S;, will also benefit from the availability of highly trained young professionals, through internships and in collaborative research. C&S; is proud to boast among its ranks a number of Keene State graduates who contribute in many ways to the company.”

Cohen and his family are longtime supporters of KSC programs, including the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies.

Putnam called the gift “an extraordinary foundation for our campaign.”

KSC President Stanley J. Yarosewick also applauded the C&S; gift. “While our budget resources are modest,” he said, “Keene State College is rich in relationships, and these relationships give us the confidence and support to pursue this dream.”

Yarosewick also thanked the College faculty and staff for contributing generously to the campaign.

Due to open for the fall 2004 semester, the 93,000-square-foot Science Center has been on the drawing board since 1996. The building’s laboratories, classrooms, and other work areas are designed to encourage active, collaborative learning and to accommodate the College’s growing number of high-technology science tools. The building will also house the Science Education Resource Center, established to train and support science teachers.

The goal of the effort is $4 million, the difference between the $19 million provided by the N.H. Legislature and the building’s $23-million price tag. The Legislature’s contribution came as part of the initiative KEEP-NH, the Knowledge Economy Education Plan, created to upgrade science and technology facilities on campuses of the University System of New Hampshire.

For more information, visit www.keene.edu/science.