Allegheny will get $1.5M for new center

The college has already raised $18 million in gifts and pledges for the project.
MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Allegheny College will get $1.5 million in state assistance for a new theater and communication arts center.
Richard Cook, Allegheny's president, said Thursday that the money will come from the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, a grant program administered by the Office of the Budget for the acquisition and construction of regional economic, cultural, civic and historical improvement projects.
"We are grateful for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's wonderful support of this facility and for the efforts of our public officials in securing this funding," said Cook. "The theater and communication arts center will strengthen the region's economy by attracting more students to Allegheny and by drawing more people to the community as audience members and participants in events."
Public events
Allegheny sponsors a number of performing arts series and collaborates with an array of local theater, arts and educational groups to provide cultural programming. The college subsidizes events to make them available to a broad audience. Most of Allegheny's public events -- more than 75 each year -- are free, while others are offered at a minimal charge.
"The new facility will allow us to expand our presence as an important economic and cultural resource for the region," Cook said.
The state assistance is only a small part of the entire project cost.
Allegheny has already raised $18 million in gifts and pledges toward the construction, which has a projected cost of $23 million. Fund raising for the building will continue, with groundbreaking scheduled for January 2007.
The facility will include rehearsal and instructional areas, video production facilities and a large performance space for hosting public events.
Communication Arts and Theatre is one of the college's strongest and fastest-growing academic departments. In recent years, nearly 25 percent of students in each graduating class have either majored or minored in communication arts.
Each year, nearly 100 students participate in extracurricular activities such as theater performances and Allegheny's student television network.
Allegheny is a liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,100 students.