Community Corner
Bedford Couple Launches New Student Center at Saint Anselm
Largest individual contribution in college history gives students a dozen services in one building, cafe, auditorium and game room
The generosity of a Bedford couple has made possible a new student center at Saint Anselm College. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, May 4, 2018, benefactors Roger and Francine Jean were honored for extraordinary leadership, including the largest individual gift in Saint Anselm College history – $6 Million – making possible the Complex that now bears their name.
The official opening of the new Roger and Francine Jean Student Center Complex at Saint Anselm College gives 2,000 undergraduates a significantly expanded, student-focused, state-of-the-art facility that serves as the center of campus life for an increasingly diverse student body.
Roger Jean, a Manchester native, 1970 graduate and trustee of Saint Anselm College, and 2006 honorary degree recipient, with his wife Francine, had previously established an endowed scholarship fund in 2003, and an annual scholarship fund in 2007, both in their name.
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“We want this Center to truly be a center on campus,” says Roger. “A center of learning, laughter, service, work and prayer. A center for dancing, friendship, brainstorming, problem-solving and yes, even coffee, and especially good conversation and an enthusiastic exchange of ideas.”
“We know that wonderful things are going to happen within these walls and that lifelong friendships are going to be formed here.”
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The Student Center Complex is already the hub of campus as students go from one valuable resource to another. Multiple student services are now based in the Roger and Francine Student Center Complex, including the Center for Intercultural Learning and Inclusion, Meelia Center for Community Engagement, Campus Ministry, Career Development Center, International Programs, Class Deans’ Offices, Health Services, College Bookstore and Mail Center. Spacious lounge areas, wide hallways, a 250-seat auditorium, a café, a glass-walled second floor flexible function room, and abundant natural light provide an open, inclusive and comfortable environment. The Student Center Complex connects to Stoutenburgh Gymnasium, allowing convenient flow between two of the more trafficked buildings on campus.
