Blue House of North College will be renamed Messa House at noon on Sat., May 29 as a part of the Reunion Weekend celebrations.
By Benjamin Engle
Blue House, one of the seven Minerva Houses at Union College, will be renamed during ReUnion weekend to recognize a $2 million unrestricted gift to the college by Frank L. Messa '73, Chair of the Board of Trustees, and his wife, Colleen Messa.
Blue House will be renamed Messa House during an official dedication ceremony on Sat., May 29, at noon. The Messas chose Blue House to rename because of their family's connection to the Minerva; their daughter Keri Messa '08 was a member of Blue House.Messa, who retired as senior vice president for International Strategies at the Ayco Company, a local tax and financial consulting firm, earned a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in Political Science from Union in 1973 and received a J.D. degree from Albany Law School in 1976. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a finalist for the Albert C. Ingham Prize, given to the student in social sciences with the most outstanding scholarly work.
Though Messa graduated 37 years ago, he has been an active alumnus. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 1994, serving as chairman since 2007. Messa is co-chair of the "You are Union" fundraising campaign and led the Presidential Selection Committee for Union's 18th president, Stephen Ainlay.
The gift by the Messas is just one part of the college's "You are Union" campaign, which according to the Alumni Relations website, has raised $183.1 million as of March 31. The "You are Union" campaign is to support projects outlined in the college's Strategic Plan and was recently expanded, setting a new fundraising goal of $250 million by 2012.
As part of the campaign, the college's goal is to raise $191 million by June 30.
"[The gift] is an extremely generous act of support by a loyal Union family. It says a great deal about their confidence in the college. This gift follows years of support - commitments of time, expertise, and financial resources - including the Messa hockey rink. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board and so he knows that this gift comes at a critical time," Ainlay said. "It shows his confidence in Union and the strategic direction that we are pursuing. Through this gift, the family demonstrates its belief that Union is making a difference."
According to the Feb. Board of Trustees Report by Mr. Messa, the gift will be his second major campaign gift. "The gift will further one of the important initiatives in our Strategic Plan and provide much needed capital to the college during the ongoing financial crisis."
"[The gift] comes at a time when the economic downturn has led many people to be cautious," President Ainlay added. "I hope that the Messa gift will be inspirational to others. As an unrestricted gift, it allows the college to direct much needed financial support to areas of greatest need."
In addition to this contribution, the Messa family has been generous in their donations to the College in the past. The family has provided the funds for the renovation of Frank L. Messa Rink at Achilles Center, the renovation of Schaffer Library, the establishment of the Frank Messa '73 Endowed Scholarship, and the Steinway Piano Fund for the new Taylor Music Center.
Established in 2004, the Minerva Program is made up of seven houses and was created to expand the educational and social experiences of students, faculty, and staff. When they were originally created, each Minerva House was named for a color; however, they were renamed in honor of donors who gave significant contributions to the college.
Chronologically, the houses were renamed Wold House (John '38 and Jane Wold), Golub House (William Golub '26, from son Neil), Beuth House (Philip Beuth '54), Sorum House in 2005 (Christina Sorum, dean of faculty and vice president of Academic Affairs who died in 2005, from Paul Sorum), and Breazzano House in 2007 (David Breazzano '78).
Of the original seven Minerva Houses, Green House is the final house in the program that has not been renamed.
While there are no specific plans to rename Green House at this time, President Ainlay is optimistic that the gift by the Messa family will inspire others to donate to the College during these tough economic times.
"We continue discussions with other donors about the naming of Green House," Ainlay commented. "Our intention is to have it named as well before the end of the current Capital Campaign."
In honor of the renaming of Blue House, the Minerva will host a big party to celebrate the new name after the fireworks display on Library Field during ReUnion Weekend. Open to the entire campus, the Messa House event will have fried dough, slushies, popcorn, and other carnival-style activities.
"Having 6 of the 7 houses named is a big accomplishment," Dean Thomas McEvoy added, "and I would really like to thank the Messa family for their generous contribution."McEvoy is the director of the Minerva program.
Messa House is governed by a council that is elected at the end of each winter term. The council, which is open to all Messa House members, works to create both intellectual and social events as well as create a home-away-from-home feeling for the campus community. It meets on Thursdays at 9 p.m. in the house and is open to the entire campus community.
"We're inclusive. Over the years we've worked hard to reach out to everyone in the Union community and let them know that they are welcome. We try to keep the physical condition and social feeling of the house comfortable," Blue House Faculty Representative Shelton Schmidt said.
"While being at Union I have come to consider Blue House my home. I know that I will continue to come back and visit Messa house and feel the same way because it is a place with a lot of heart!" added outgoing Council Chair, Tamara Linde '10. "When it comes down to it, we don't Messa-round!"
Originally Published in Union's Concordy on 4/8/10
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