SJC Receives Donation for Dillon Center and Scholarship

February 15, 2019

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – February 15, 2019 – St. Joseph’s College (SJC) is pleased to announce that the Sisters of St. Joseph received a donation of $800,000, designated for the College, from the estate of Catherine Brown, a longtime Brooklyn resident and friend of SJC. The gift will primarily benefit SJC Brooklyn’s Dillon Child Study Center, with $50,000 reserved for the S. Alice Francis Young ’40 Endowed Scholarship for SJC students.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Brown lived in a Vanderbilt Avenue brownstone, just up the street from SJC Brooklyn and the College’s Dillon Child Study Center. Brown and her mother developed a supportive relationship with the College and the Sisters of St. Joseph, and provided additional childcare for many of the Dillon Center’s students.

“The gift is recognition of the ministry in higher education for early childhood and the teaching profession,” said S. Helen Kearney, Ph.D., president of the Sisters of St. Joseph. “This was something Catherine and her mother believed in. Her gift comes from a deep respect for St. Joseph’s College and the opportunities the College provides to students — opportunities they would never have received in other places.”

SJC Brooklyn’s Dillon Child Study Center was established in 1934 by former SJC President Msgr. William T. Dillon. One of the first campus laboratory preschools on the East Coast, it continues to serve as a model and demonstration program for SJC child study majors and professionals interested in the field of early childhood education. Funds from this gift will be used to renovate the observation rooms to increase efficiency for observers and Dillon Center staff. In addition, SJC will upgrade the HVAC system, which will enable students to schedule observation sessions in the summer, giving them increased flexibility and the capacity to graduate earlier, saving money in the process and helping to meet New York City’s ever-present need for trained early education instructors.

“This gift is a testament to the timelessness of the missions of both the Sisters of St. Joseph and St. Joseph's College,” said SJC President Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D. “Since its founding, there has been a consistent, ever-present thread that's run through the intellectual and spiritual fabric of the College: the belief that education transforms lives, communities and the greater world for the better. This gift, inspired by the good work of the Sisters decades ago, is a timely reminder that today's students are advancing this wonderful legacy through their own unique talents and contributions.”

For more information, contact Michael Banach at [email protected].

ABOUT ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE
St. Joseph’s College has been dedicated to providing a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the College provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual and spiritual values, social responsibility and service. Through SJC Brooklyn, SJC Long Island and SJC Online, the College offers degrees in 50 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs.