October 19, 2023 | Saint Anselm College
The Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences will “signif[y] the unity of our healthcare programs,” announced President Favazza at the Grappone Hall groundbreaking ceremony. The Oct. 13 ceremony was held outside Poisson, the future site of Grappone Hall, which will house the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Students, faculty, staff, community members, trustees, and members of the monastic community were in attendance for what Fr. Benet called “a historic moment.”
At the end of 2022, Saint Anselm received $2.2 million in federal funds to be used towards building the Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Diane Uzarski, the inaugural dean, called the School a “new, much deserved home for health professions, faculty, staff and students.”
Two leadership gift commitments were announced at the Oct. 13 ceremony, and current nursing students unveiled a rendering of the building’s exterior. The ceremony also included remarks by President Joseph Favazza, Dean Uzarski, chairman of the board of trustees Joseph Loughrey, Beverly Grappone, and Roger Jean. Abbot Mark Cooper, O.S.B gave a benediction.
The Jean School of Nursing and Health Sciences will be named after Roger and Francine Jean in recognition of their $10 million gift towards the project. The College also received a $5 million commitment from trustees Robert and Beverly Grappone, after whom the building will be named.
Roger Jean said that the College’s ranking among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the country indicates to him that “we have a top notch nursing program.” He noted that the only area in which Saint Anselm lagged behind similar schools was in its facilities, and that he hoped the Jean School would provide students with “state of the art facilities for a top nursing program.”
Saint Anselm nursing’s strong foundation in the liberal arts is widely regarded as a crucial aspect of what makes the program unique. Trustee Beverly Grappone, after whom Grappone Hall is named, said, “I know the type of students who graduate from Saint Anselm with a Benedictine background in the liberal arts, and it’s true that the nurses are just of a different quality.” President Favazza said, “Saint Anselm College exemplifies the fact that not only can excellent liberal arts and professional programs co-exist, but in truth, they complement and inform each other.”
In her remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony, Uzarski encourage Anselmians to let the visual progress of Grappone Hall being built “serve as a reminder that we too must be building so that we are ready to move into this school in move in day.” She said that she hopes that students and faculty of the future Jean School “feel a sense of community and thrive here.”
Joseph Loughrey, chairman of the College’s board of trustees, stated that “the School of Nursing and Health Sciences is going to propel the already excellent reputation of our nursing program to new heights, and will support the expansion of our health science programs as Saint Anselm College continues to respond to the health care crises our world faces.” Uzarski also described her hopes that the new school will better prepare students to “address our society’s needs in a unique Anselmian way.” That unique Anselmian approach, which includes a foundation in the humanities, will only be strengthened by the new Jean School for Nursing and Health Sciences.
Article: Construction begins on nursing institute, ceremony takes place outside Poisson
Author: Flannery Moore, Culture Editor, The Saint Anselm Crier
Published: October 19, 2023
Construction Manager: Eckman Construction
Architect: Lavallee Brensinger Architects
