Tuesday, September 30, 2014
New residence hall to carry Hardesty name
The University of Tulsa proudly announces the naming of Hardesty Hall, a new multipurpose building that is being constructed in the heart of the TU campus.
The 70,000-square-foot facility will house 300 beds as well as 36,000 square feet of office space for the Holmes Student Center. Located at 5th Place and Florence Avenue, the old student center was razed in early 2014 in preparation for the new building.
The Hardesty Family Foundation has invested $10 million in this latest campus upgrade. This strategic gift is the largest in the foundation’s history and is the latest to The University of Tulsa. One of the earlier gifts was the Donna J. Hardesty Sports and Recreation Complex, which spurred development on the west side of the campus, and the Hardesty Archival Center in the recently completed Helmerich Center for American Research at Gilcrease Museum.
“A commitment of this magnitude deserves our heartfelt thanks as The Hardesty Family Foundation extends its distinguished legacy of philanthropy. We at TU are truly fortunate to count ourselves among the many beneficiaries of this generous foundation,” university President Steadman Upham said.
Hardesty Hall will be dedicated in 2015, and the residence hall portion will open to students that fall for the 2015-16 academic year. The new dormitory is a much-needed addition to TU, where enrollment has reached all-time highs in recent years.
“The Hardesty Family Foundation’s investment will allow The University of Tulsa to offer comfortable new housing and important student services such as job placement and leadership opportunities,” said Michelle Hardesty, executive director of the foundation. “This gift speaks to the heart of our mission to create opportunities in Tulsa that make our city and our world a better place to live.”
Established in 2005 by F. Roger Hardesty and his wife, Donna, The Hardesty Family Foundation benefits specific needs of the people of Tulsa and the surrounding areas through worthy nonprofit organizations such as libraries, schools, hospitals, cultural centers and technology hubs. Donna Hardesty graduated from TU in 1962. Roger Hardesty, founder and chairman of Tulsa-based United States Aviation Company, was honored as TU’s 2003 Outstanding Entrepreneur and is a former TU trustee. Their daughter Debbie Hardesty Cristo (BA ’74) and grandson Alex Cristo (BA ’05, BSBA ’10, MBA ’12) are both proud alumni of the university, too.
Contact:
Mona Chamberlin
91-631-2656
mona-chamberlin@utulsa.edu