The Morgridge College of Education (MCE) has received a $10 million gift to create the James C. Kennedy Institute for Educational Success and is also breaking ground on a new building next week.
The gift, from 1970 alumnus James “Jim” Cox Kennedy, who graduated from DU in 1972, will endow three faculty chairs and an operations and research endowment, according to Scott Lumpkin, associate vice chancellor of DU.
The Kennedy Institute will “seek to identify innovative and cost-effective means for promoting and sustaining the educational success of vulnerable children in our society – from childhood through postsecondary education,” according to a news release from Jim Berscheidt, associate vice chancellor of University Communications.
The three Kennedy chairs, which include a chair of Early Childhood Learning, Urban Education and Innovative Learning Technologies, will be found after a new dean of the MCE is appointed, according to Lumpkin.
The MCE will also hold the official groundbreaking of the new Katherine A. Ruffatto Hall next Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 10:30 a.m. on the corner of East Evans and South High streets. The building, designed by architectural consultant Jane Loefgren from the University Architect’s office, is expected to be completed and open for use in the summer session of 2010.
“Ruffatto Hall will bring all of our programs, students, faculty and staff together in one state-of-the-art facility, providing greater opportunities for collaboration and innovation,” said Bill McGreevy, assistant dean of the MCE.
Ruffatto Hall will also house the university’s Learning Effectiveness Program (LEP), Disability Services Program and the Institute for Early Learning and Literacy.
The building is funded by a $10 million gift from Carrie and John Morgridge and a $5 million gift from Joan and Mike Ruffatto in honor of their daughter, Kathie Ruffatto. Ruffatto was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Lupus as a child and enrolled in the LEP before graduating in 2005 with a degree in biology and minors in chemistry and communications.
“The building is designed to be warm and inviting and to encourage experimentation,” McGreevy said. “It will have a traditional yet contemporary look on the outside, in keeping with the style of other buildings on the DU campus.”
Inside, Ruffatto Hall will feature interactive whiteboards, flat panel displays and video conferencing equipment, said McGreevy. It has been designed to achieve a gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard or higher by the U.S. Green Building Council.
