GREENSBURG, PA- The directors of the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, Inc. have awarded a $2 million grant to Seton Hill University in support of its new Recreation Complex. The grant represents the largest received in the University’s history and the largest received to date for the $6.5 million Complex. The Foundation’s award brings the total amount raised for the project to more than $5.2 million and brings Seton Hill’s total campaign to more than $35 million.

"We are very excited about this new facility and how it will add to the quality of student life," said Linda McKenna Boxx, Chairman of the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation. She added, "We appreciate the time and care that Seton Hill spent planning this new building to be practical and sensitive to the surrounding buildings."

"We are grateful for the continued leadership support of the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, and their significant endorsement of this project," said JoAnne Boyle, Seton Hill President. "The Foundation’s unwavering commitment to Seton Hill is more than noteworthy. In 1998, the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation provided the lead gift of $1.5 million that allowed us to initiate graduate programs and restore the Administration Building. That gift was the gift of the century for Seton Hill. Now, at the dawn of a new century, the Foundation has topped its previous gift with an award for our competitive facility for athletics, fitness and wellness activities. The generosity of the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation continues to make a meaningful impact on the lives of Seton Hill students."

The Foundation’s grant for the Recreation Complex comes at a pivotal time for Seton Hill according to Seton Hill Vice President for Institutional Advancement Christine Mueseler: "With Seton Hill’s enrollment now topping 1,500 students, the facility will have a major impact on our ability to recruit and retain talented students." She also commented about the timing of the award, "Seton Hill has another funding proposal pending with the Kresge Foundation of Troy, Michigan. The grant from the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, in addition to inspiring others to participate in the life of the University, will send an important message to the national foundation about Seton Hill’s fund-raising momentum and bring us a step closer to a favorable funding outcome in September."

Seton Hill hosts seven NAIA athletic teams for women including basketball, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball, golf, and cross country. The University currently hosts two NAIA teams for men including soccer and golf; and, recruiting is underway for men’s basketball, baseball, cross country, and tennis. Seton Hill’s program has produced athletes who have been nationally ranked in every statistical category, and named Academic All Americans.

The three-story Recreation Complex, designed by Celli-Flynn Brennan Turkall Architects & Planners and to be built by Building Systems, Inc. will be located between Sullivan Hall and Bayley Hall on Seton Hill’s campus. The architecture of the new facility will echo the Tudor style of Sullivan Hall providing continuity between the historic and new buildings on campus. The centerpiece of the 44,000 square-foot Recreation Complex will be the competition gymnasium seating 1,000. Other features of the facility include intramural courts, aerobic and fitness rooms, and a running track.

Seton Hill, chartered in 1918, is a leading coeducational Catholic liberal arts university with more than 30 undergraduate programs and 7 graduate programs, including an MBA. Seton Hill brings the world to its students through its distinguished lecturers and nationally and internationally renowned centers. For more information, please visit www.setonhill.edu or call 1-800-826-6234.