Saint Joseph's University, 2007–08 - With Faith and Strength to Dare ...

campaigndonors | Maryanne and John R. Post ’60
John R. Post ‘60 Academic Center
John R. Post ’60 (B.S.) and his wife, Maryanne, are no strangers to supporting Saint Joseph’s
academic mission. Their gift in 1999 allowed the University to transform the former Villiger Hall
into a state-of-the-art academic center for the social and health sciences, now known as John R. Post Hall.
And so when the Posts decided to contribute to With Faith and Strength to Dare: The Campaign
for Saint Joseph’s University, their choice of which Campaign initiative to support soon became clear.
John and Maryanne’s newest gift, a $7.5 million donation, will dramatically reshape the
academic hub of Saint Joseph’s campus. It is the centerpiece of what will be known as the John R.
Post ’60 Academic Center — which includes the construction of a new, three-story learning facility,
to be named the John and Maryanne Post Learning Commons, and the renovation of the existing
Francis A. Drexel Library.
Drexel Library will be structurally joined to the Post Learning Commons, a 37,000-square-foot
edifice that will include private rooms with large screens for students to work on projects and create
collaborative presentations, instruction areas, expanded student seating, and special collections and
archives. The Crossroads Café, modeled after commercial coffee shops, will attract students looking
beyond the traditional library setting. A bright, flexible and welcoming space, the Learning Commons
will respond to all learning styles and provide round-the-clock research and technology support.
With this new gift, the Post family became the largest
single benefactor in the University’s history. John and
Maryanne’s generosity toward academic initiatives is not
surprising: John freely offers much credit to his Saint Joseph’s education for helping to prepare him for the
successful business career he embarked on after graduating.
“Saint Joseph’s is where those skills were first learned,” he said. “The Learning Commons will provide
today’s students with 21st century preparation so that they can make their own marks once they enter the
workforce.”
have always had the highest respect and affection for
Saint Joseph’s University ... I am confident this center will
further the University’s mission as a place of inquiry,
a place of dialogue, and a place of academic rigor and engagement —
becoming the academic hub of a vibrant campus.
““ I
16 president’s report
why we give
John R. Post ’60