Campaign Priorities

John R. Post ’60 Academic Center

John and Maryanne Post Learning Commons

Goal: $21,000,000
Raised to Date: $7,500,909

A recent $7.5 million gift from alumnus John R. Post '60, and his wife, Maryanne, will dramatically reshape the academic hub of the Saint Joseph's University campus.

The gift is the centerpiece of what ultimately will be known as the John R. Post '60 Academic Center —which includes the construction of a new, three-story building, to be named the John and Maryanne Post Learning Commons, and the renovation of the existing Francis A. Drexel Library.

Drexel Library will be structurally joined to the Post Learning Commons—offering Saint Joseph's students a bright, welcoming, and flexible space, responding to all learning styles and providing round-the-clock research and technology support as a true center for learning and discovery. The facility will also be equipped with generous spaces for displaying works of art from students and prominent artists.

Rigor, engagement, and true scholarship are part of the Jesuit mission, and students require more from their library than in the past. They need flexible study space, informal social spaces, and a place where technology is available for more than research. The model library in the new millennium creates a comfortable and exciting environment where students can collaborate, access resources, and relax - in space designed to accommodate personal needs and preferences.

The 37,000-square-foot Post Learning Commons will include private rooms with large screens for students to work on projects and create collaborative presentations, instruction areas, expanded student seating, and special collections and archives, while the Crossroads Café—modeled after “lively” commercial coffee shops, will attract students looking beyond the traditional library setting.

The estimated $21 million project is anticipated to break ground in 2013.