EDUCATION JCM
H eaven Can ’ t Wait Expansions at two Jesuit institutions is good news for educators and students Being named after the Apostle Peter must be a good omen here in JC. Both Saint Peter’s College and Saint Peter’s Prep are expanding, a sign of good fiscal health at two venerable schools. Peter, a fisherman, the “rock” of the early church, and holder of the keys of heaven must be an auspicious guy to name a school after. Consider: Saint Peter’s College has launched a $62 million capital campaign as it eyes its first student center. Despite its saintly chops, the college is very much of this world—a black tie fundraiser in early May featuring American Idol star Taylor Hicks kicked off the public phase of the campaign. The new student center will be a sixstory 90,000-square-foot facility stretching from Montgomery Street to Glenwood Avenue. The site is now a parking lot between Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenue. Construction is expected to take 18 months. The facility will be a dining, fitness, and learning center. The Duncan Family Sky Room on the top floor will serve the local community, featuring a space for special events and community meetings that accommodates 450. “We’re concerned, not only about serving our internal population but also the neighborhood and larger community,” says Saint Peter’s College President Eugene J. Cornacchia, Ph.D.
46 • Jersey CITY Magazine ~ FALL & WINTER 2011/12