[DetroitMan]

$30M gift will allow Kalamazoo College to build new dorm

A $30 million anonymous gift to Kalamazoo College will support the construction of a new dorm on campus.

The gift is the largest in the college’s 190-year history, according to a Kalamazoo College press release.

With the gift, Kalamazoo College will be able to “reenvision” the residential experience and support new programs for student success, the release said. Those programs will have a focus on first-generation college students. Kalamazoo College students and community members had the chance to share critiques of the college’s six residence halls after the announcement on Monday, Oct. 9. Too much traffic noise, limited parking, a lack of kitchen space and trouble with window locks were among issues raised.

Freshmen and sophomores are required to live in residence halls and have a dining plan with the college, according to the Kalamazoo College website. The planning process is still in the early stages of development, a Kalamazoo College spokesperson said.

Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez said the gift will be “transformative.”

“This gift will put us on the path toward creating the campus experience of the future and help us ensure every student at the college is positioned for success,” Gonzalez said in the release.

https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo...-new-dorm.html