Personal gift from Paychex CEO is college's largest-ever donation

Roberts Wesleyan College has received a $5 million personal gift - the largest in the college's 135-year history - from Rochester businessman B. Thomas Golisano. The college will use the funds to construct the B. Thomas Golisano Library and Information Resource Center, a 50,000 square foot facility "combining the warmth of a traditional library with state-of-the-art technological access," said Roberts Wesleyan President William C. Crothers.

"When I presented the commencement address several years ago at Roberts Wesleyan College, I was inspired by what I consider to be strong social values in the Roberts Wesleyan community," said Golisano, chairman, president and CEO of Paychex, Inc. "I think that atmosphere must continue to be supported."

Crothers called the gift "transformational" to the life of the college. "Our current library is functional but inadequate for the comprehensive institution Roberts Wesleyan is becoming," Crothers said. "Tom Golisano's gift will advance our master plan by a full decade and position Roberts Wesleyan for further growth in size and stature."

Roberts Wesleyan's enrollment has grown to 1,800 from 600 at the beginning of Crothers' presidency in 1981. The institution has added five graduate programs since then (in education, social work, management, theology and divinity), with four more planned to begin in fall 2002 (in school psychology, school counseling, clinical psychology and community counseling).

The college was completing its $31 million "Faith In Our Future" campaign but now will use Golisano's gift as a springboard to raise $5 million more, increasing the campaign goal to $41 million, said Peter McCown, vice president for development.

"This gift is going to stretch our institution and our constituency in a way only this kind of gift could," McCown said. "With the expansion of knowledge and the virtual explosion of information, education is increasingly dependent on teaching students how to find the information they need. The new library will be dedicated to that goal."

Construction of the Golisano Library is expected to begin in 2003, following careful planning and architectural work. Estimates for design, construction, equipment and furnishings costs indicate the $10 million project will result in a facility of approximately 50,000 square feet. The library will be one of the largest buildings on the Roberts Wesleyan campus.