Daemen College marks 60th anniversary
Breaks ground on new research center
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

The $10 million Center for Information, Research and Community Programs is under construction at Daemen College at 4380 Main St. The 45,000-square-foot structure will replace the existing library and create a new center for several of the college's groups, and expand the computer lab by 600 percent. Photo by John Rusac Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

When women had few options for college, a small, one-building institution on Main Street in Snyder was transformed into one.

Now, 60 years later, Daemen College has posted the highest enrollment in its history and operates in 19 buildings, seven of which are residential.

The college's president, Martin J. Anisman, has personally seen the campus grow in the 11 years he has served, and he reflected on the changes that have taken place since it was chartered.

The land at 4380 Main St., once owned by the Waite family, was purchased by a group of Franciscan Sisters who opened the college as an answer for young women who were turned down by Niagara University.

At the time, Canisius College was admitting only young men.

Anisman said there were 40 women in the first class and one building in which they could assemble.

When chartered in 1947, the school was named Rosary Hill College. The first graduating class began their studies in 1948.

"It was a humble beginning. For a long time it was a tough go," Anisman said. "In the 1970s it became coed, I assume to help with enrollment."

It was also during the 1970s the college became an independent, private, nondenominational college. The college was renamed Daemen in recognition of Sister Magdalene Daemen, who was head of the group of sisters who founded Rosary Hill College.

According to Daemen College bylaws, a member of the Franciscan Sisters must hold a seat on the board of trustees.

From an all-female class of 40 to the fall 2007 enrollment of 2,350, Daemen has not only increased the number of students, but added to the buildings and the courses and activities offered.

"We have grown quite a bit," Anisman said. "It was primarily a liberal arts college, but over the years that has evolved."

Martin J. Anisman

Thirty years ago, when the physical therapy program was added, there was a demand in the workforce for trained therapists, Anisman said. Now Daemen's program is well-known for its program and offers a doctorate in physical therapy.

"At one time half the students were in physical therapy or wanted to be," he said.

Later, the college added nurse practitioner and physician's assistant degrees, and more recently there has been a growing interest in graphic design, painting and sculpting.

The physical changes at Daemen are the most obvious to those passing by. The college recently broke ground on a $10 million, 45,000-square-foot Center for Information, Research and Community Programs.

Innovative in several ways, the most notable is, when completed, the new center will be the largest LEED-certified structure in the area, according to Jennifer Koch Gibson, Capital Campaign director.

LEED, which means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating granted through the U.S. Green Building Council. There are four levels: platinum, gold, silver and certified. Gibson said Daemen's new center will meet the standards for a silver rating.

The building will not only be environmentally friendly when it is completed, but guidelines also have to be followed during the construction process. There can't be any smoking on site, the garbage and recycling has to be maintained and levels of pollution and air quality are measured.

One of the main questions surrounding the development is the torn-up front lawn. Daemen officials have guaranteed the lawn will be restored upon construction completion.

The center will change the stigma carried with the name library, said Edwin Clausen, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. He was referring to the current desire for research centers rather than libraries.

"Instead of a place that houses books, the complex will be a series of multiple functions," he said.

The center will house the books from Marian Library and a lot more. The organizations focused on civic and sustainable efforts, as well as offices, will be at home in the new center. The computer lab will grow by 600 percent, and the group study rooms will increase to 24 from four.

"The group study rooms are always taken in Marian," Clausen said.

It will also be a working laboratory. Following LEED requirements, the center had to be located within a certain distance from a bus stop, it has to use a certain percentage of renewable energy and bike racks were required. To study energy-saving methods and reducing pollution, the college can use the center for hands-on research.

Gibson said it took a lot of time and effort on the college's part to become part of the LEED program, but in the end it will be worth it.

"Depending on the LEED ranking we achieve, we could be saving $24,000 to $62,000 a year on operating expenses," she said, adding that the structure will also be eligible for funding.

The plan started a few years ago when Clausen said he knew the library would have to be replaced.

"Then we started pushing for an environmentally friendly building," he said, adding that Gibson was a big part of the push.

The college needed a center that coincided with the academic goals. Increasing its international studies program, as well as relations, the center will have the capacity to connect students and faculty with scholars in other countries.

Gibson said she was proud that a smaller institution such as Daemen is leading the way in environmentally conscience construction and forward thinking.

"Daemen is providing an example; it will be the only silver-rank LEED building in Western New York," she said. "You would expect that of a big corporation, but it's us, landlocked Daemen. We are the ones leading."

She said her passion for the center is because, plain and simple, it's an important project.

The structure is expected to define how Daemen appears to the community and visitors. A triangular design with a lot of windows, the new center will be the structure most visible from Main Street.

Completion of the $10 million structure is expected in 2009, with students first using it for the spring semester of that year.

The college said there are many options on what to do with the Marian building, but a decision has not been made.

"It's about being environmentally responsible," Clausen said, adding that there are no excuses today not to be.

e-mail: jfinch@beenews.com