Grove City College Launches $185M Capital Campaign

GROVE CITY, Pa. – Grove City College has launched the largest capital campaign in its history, with a goal of raising $185 million for campus improvements and student financial aid.

Impact 150: The Anniversary Campaign for Grove City College began with a ceremony Friday on the steps of Rockwell Hall of Science, the oldest academic building on campus and a major focus of the campaign’s first phase.

The campaign’s name references a defining moment for the Christian liberal arts college as it approaches its 150th anniversary in 2026.

“Our current five-year strategic plan, From Strength to Strength: Timeless Values and Historic Opportunities, sets the stage perfectly for today’s historic announcement of our capital campaign,” said Paul McNulty, president of Grove City College. “The momentum we are building carries us from a place of strength toward greater excellence in every aspect of our mission.” 

Impact 150 priorities include the renovation of aging but iconic campus facilities, including Rockwell Hall and residence halls, a new field house and training facility and nearly $50 million for student financial aid. The campaign and construction will take place in three phases.

The first phase of the campaign calls for raising $90 million. Most of those funds will be used to renovate Rockwell Hall and connect it via a “science in action” corridor to STEM Hall. The project’s $48 million cost includes the first comprehensive update to the building’s laboratories, classrooms, offices and common collaborative spaces since Rockwell was dedicated in 1931. 

The renovation and new construction will increase Rockwell’s square footage by almost 50 percent, include new electrical and mechanical systems and turn the nearly 100-year-old facility into a 21st century hub for discovery and innovation while preserving its historic look. Construction is expected to begin this summer.

The initial phase also includes $26 million to build a new field house and athletic training facility adjacent to Thorn Field. The 40,000-square-foot facility will include new locker rooms, training areas, meeting and office spaces and an outdoor festival plaza.

The first phase also includes a goal of raising $16 million to increase institutional financial aid for students. 

The second phase, which is expected to begin in 2026, includes raising $43 million to renovate residence halls and the historic Crawford Hall Auditorium and fund student scholarships. The final phase’s goal is $32 million to be used to build an athletic and wellness center on Upper Campus, renovate residence halls across campus and further bolster financial aid.

“I can’t think of a better mission to get behind than the one that guides us every day at the College,” said Edward D. Breen, chair of the college’s board of trustees. “The support of our alumni and friends as we begin this capital campaign is invaluable – they are making an incredible investment in students and in the college, and also in the future of our nation and our world. Impact 150 is a vision for increasing the profound impact that Grove City College can have.”

Pictured at top: Grove City College President Paul McNulty announces the beginning of Impact 150: The Anniversary Campaign for Grove City College.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.