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Largest Single Gift To Transform Brooks Hall

This transformative gift will establish Lombardo Hall as a collaborative and inclusive campus space.

Lombardo Donation of $5 Million Kick-Starts Campaign

Thanks to the largest single gift in Millersville University’s history, Brooks Hall will be transformed into the Samuel N. and Dena M. Lombardo Hall – home of the Lombardo College of Business. Dr. Samuel Lombardo and his wife Dena have been supporters of Millersville University for many years. Their gift of $5 million, announced today, brings their total giving to the University to almost $10 million.

“This transformative gift will establish Lombardo Hall as a collaborative and inclusive campus space that brings together business, entrepreneurship and innovation,” says Dr. Daniel A. Wubah, president of Millersville University. “As we implement our strategic plan – “Tradition and Transformation” – there is perhaps no better project that fits this theme than the complete renovation of and addition to Brooks Hall to be the future home for the Lombardo College of Business, the University’s first named college. It will nurture student success for generations to come.”

At the groundbreaking ceremony. From l-r, Dena Lombardo, Dr. Sam Lombardo, President Wubah, Mike Warfel (chairman of the Council of Trustees) and Dr. Marc Tomljanovich (Dean of the Lombardo College of Business).

The Lombardos’ first major gift to MU was in 2015 when they gave $1.2 million to make the Lombardo Welcome Center a reality and in May 2020 they announced a $3 million gift for the Lombardo College of Business.

“After the last 18 months that students have gone through, we thought it was more important than ever to ensure student success by helping to provide a building that will meet their future needs,” says Dr. Lombardo. “I like giving back and now, more than ever, seems to be the appropriate time.”

“I’m a businessperson who started with nothing and built my company from the ground up,” said Dr. Lombardo. “To be able to help business students realize their dreams is very important to me.”

In addition to classrooms and other instructional spaces, Lombardo Hall will host alumni, professional and community events and act as a hub to engage faculty, students, local companies, startups, nonprofits and government agencies. It will house traditional business programs like marketing, management, finance and accounting and offer space for interdisciplinary offerings such as data analytics with flexible workspaces designed to foster creative transformation. The renovations will maintain the tradition and legacy of the building while incorporating the latest technology that will ensure that Lombardo Hall can serve the needs of both current and future generations of students.

New spaces at Lombardo Hall will include Innovations Court, in the original location of the basketball court, which will be an open flexible space to host job and career fairs, events, presentations to the community and much more. In addition, the building will include a business lab for the Marauder Fund and other student groups, an incubator space, a student lounge, Brooks Hall Museum and student study areas.

Imagine the Possible Campaign
The Lombardo gift will kick-start the new priority area, “Campus Revitalization,” which is the fourth prong of the “Imagine the Possible” campaign. The other three areas are “Scholarships,” “Student Learning Experiences” and “Athletics.” After exceeding the original $32 million campaign goal over a three-year period by about 65%, the University announced today a new overall campaign goal to raise $90 million in private support by 2023. To date, this fundraising campaign has raised more than $80 million to support student success.

About Brooks Hall
Brooks Hall was constructed in 1938 and served as the main athletics venue for the campus. Even after the construction of Pucillo Gymnasium in 1971, Brooks Hall continued to support athletic teams and intramural programs until it was officially closed in 2017. The 30,134 square foot building was named for Edward Brooks, a math professor and principal at Millersville from 1855 until 1883.

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