THE HIGGINS CENTER OPENS

WITH ITS GLASS FACADE GLIMMERING IN THE BRIGHT SUNLIGHT OF A

PERFECTLY WARM OCTOBER DAY, THE PATRICIA

AND CORNELIUS J. HIGGINS '62 ENGINEERING

AND SCIENCE CENTER WELCOMED ITS

GENEROUS BENEFACTORS AND AN INTIMATE

GATHERING OF GUESTS TO ITS DEDICATION

CEREMONY. THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED BUILDING

WAS OFFICIALLY OPEN AND ALREADY AN ASSET

TO THE MANHATTAN COLLEGE COMMUNITY.

ABOUT THE HIGGINS CENTER

Fully opened as of this past fall, the Patricia and Cornelius J. Higgins ’62 Engineering and Science Center is a 30,000-square-foot academic facility on Manhattan College’s South Campus, adjacent to Leo Hall. Named after Patricia G. Higgins, Ph.D., and Cornelius (Neil) J. Higgins ’62, Ph.D., who gave a $5 million leadership gift, the Higgins Center provides the necessary resources for a 21stcentury education in engineering and the sciences.

A grand and light-filled atrium welcomes students and faculty to the three-story structure. Fourteen ultramodern laboratories support and expand teaching and research in each of the College’s engineering and science disciplines. There is also space for collaborative learning and interdisciplinary partnerships between students and faculty.

OPEN FOR LEARNING

Patricia and Neil Higgins make the ceremonial cut in the ribbon stretched across the courtyard entrance, as President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., and Vice President for College Advancement Thomas Mauriello celebrate the official opening of the center. After a quick snip, guests could take guided tours or explore the building on their own.

CONSTRUCTION PHASE

The College broke ground on the Higgins Center in April 2018. Some of the notable construction elements include: • 19 alumni designed and oversaw the construction of the building • 80 piles pushed, with an average depth of 100 feet • 15,000 bricks used • 16,800 acoustical tiles placed • 675 cubic yards of concrete poured (not including sidewalks) • The center received a Gold rating in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the United

States Green Building Council

HIGGINS CREDITS THE COLLEGE

“When I reflect on my life, it is clear to me that Manhattan College is an essential element in whatever success I have had,” Neil Higgins said at the dedication ceremony on Oct. 21. “Patricia and I want Manhattan to continue to provide the invaluable opportunity that I had to future generations.” The couple simply wanted to give back.

THANKS TO THE MANY DONORS

A designated wall inside the grand atrium is adorned with plaques that recognize the many generous donors who contributed to Invest in the Vision: the Campaign for Manhattan. More than 16,000 donors helped to raise $193.6 million toward the campaign. In addition to surpassing the original goal of $165 million, there were 37 gifts of $1 million and more.

MEET NEIL AND PATRICIA HIGGINS

Neil Higgins is a founder and chairman emeritus of Applied Research Associates Inc., an engineering and science firm headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was a principal and chief executive officer from 1979 until his retirement in 2010. A registered professional engineer and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Higgins received a B.S. in civil engineering from the College in 1962. He was elected to the Manhattan College Board of Trustees in October 2003 and served until 2018, when he was named trustee emeritus.

Patricia Higgins served on the faculty of the College of Nursing at the University of New Mexico from 1980 until her retirement in 2000, rising from visiting instructor to full professor, with a specialization in maternal-child nursing. Prior to that, Higgins taught health occupations at Rio Grande High School in Albuquerque, as well as nursing refresher courses at Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute. A registered nurse and a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing, she received a diploma in nursing from the Bellevue and Mills School of Nursing in 1963.

EXPLORE AND EXPERIMENT

Emily Oldag ’21,’22 (M.S.), a graduate student studying chemical engineering, shows Patrick, the Higgins’ grandson, the pipe rack experiment in the Chemical Engineering Unit Operations Lab in Leo Hall, one of a handful of labs recently renovated, after the ceremony. The experiment measures frictional energy loss experienced by fluids as they flow through pipes. EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Strategically located across from the Research and Learning Center, the Higgins Center is connected to Leo Hall, which also underwent renovations in several of its lab and common spaces. Together, the structures feature 140,000 square feet of academic space for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) on the South Campus.

“Manhattan has from its founding had a well-deserved reputation for excellence in what are now known as the STEM disciplines — or, more accurately, in the combination of excellence in those disciplines and in the traditional liberal arts,” O’Donnell said at the dedication ceremony.

With the opening of this center, the College is now poised to continue — and even build upon — its well-regarded reputation.

“The Higgins Engineering and Science Center is living up to its intended functions — teaching and lab spaces for science and engineering programs, a beautiful atrium where students can study and interact, and a green space courtyard that can be enjoyed by all,” says Tim Ward, Ph.D., P.E., dean of the School of Engineering. “The Higgins Center is a long overdue and very welcome addition to the South Campus of the College.”

Janet McShane, Ph.D., interim dean of the School of Science, echoes those points and notes how it is advancing research.

“It’s been a fantastic new building with state-of-the-art facilities for doing science research, and it has improved the introductory labs for biology, chemistry and physics, as well as enhanced the research labs for the faculty,” she says. “It’s a showcase building, a great space for students to work and collaborate, and we’re just excited to have this brand new space.”

ULTRAMODERN LABS

The Higgins Center boasts eight teaching labs, four project labs, and six research labs. Higgins 3.08 is where the labs for Anatomy and Physiology, Evolution, Comparative Anatomy, Introduction to Biology, General Biology, and Neurobiology courses take place. Various models of the human anatomy, as well as those for animals and plants, are interspersed throughout the bright and spacious lab.