Fulfilling our mission of education and service would be
impossible without an effective administrative and physical support
system. From managing facilities to maintaining our technology, the
efforts of many departments and offices keep our organization
running smoothly.
Safety is always a concern, and in the 2004-05 academic year we
upgraded the University-wide emergency preparedness program. This
extensive undertaking included enhancing the Staten Island campus
fire alarm system and improving the University Emergency Management
Plan, which included recruiting and training 175 emergency
evacuation volunteers from all campuses and holding four emergency
preparedness drills at the Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan
campuses.
The
Department of Public Safety completed a renovation of the
Queens campus
Security Command Center in collaboration with the University’s
information technology team. The new facility now boasts a
stateof-the-art closed circuit television system and digital
recording equipment to capture and store all telephone and radio
communications. The new Command Center is considered so
sophisticated that a team from the New York Police Department’s
Management Information Systems Division inspected the facility in
anticipation of upgrading its own CCTV system.
In response to the growing demand for student housing, the
Office of Business Affairs completed several real estate
initiatives during this past academic year. The University
purchased a complex of threefamily houses near the Queens campus
that accommodate 105 students. On the Staten Island campus,
additional off-campus apartments were leased to accommodate 29
students.
The University libraries continue improving access to electronic
media for students and faculty at all campuses. An electronic
collection of sound recordings and art images, as well as software
programs to facilitate inter-library loans, was introduced in
2004-05.
The vision of our master space plan announced in 1998 was
further realized last year by completion of the DaSilva
Academic Center in Staten Island and St.
Thomas More Church in Queens. The three-story DaSilva Center
houses computer classrooms, a technology center, faculty and
administrative staff offices, student lounges and a multimedia
production lab. This project was made possible through a generous
donation of the DaSilva family, made in memory of John DaSilva, a
St. John’s hockey player who was killed in an automobile accident
in 1980.
St. Thomas More Church, which has been described as the master
plan’s crown jewel, was officially opened in September 2004. A $10
million donation from the family of John Brennan ‘63SJC, ‘66L
financed construction of the church, which seats 500 and contains
meeting rooms and the offices of Campus Ministry. It is the
University’s first free-standing church. Other components of the
plan, as well as the overall campus beautification initiative, are
complete or continue on schedule, including construction of the
Taffner Field House, part of a $23 million athletic and student
recreation enhancement project encompassing the Belson Stadium
building, the new student Fitness Center and various upgrades to
Carnesecca Arena. The Taffner Field House is named for University
trustee Eleanor Taffner ’94 Hon and her husband, Donald ‘53C, ’89
Hon. The Fitness Center, which opened during this academic year in
its new Carnesecca Arena location, was a huge success, reporting
97,576 visits during the school year.
An essential resource for the University’s continued growth and
success is its identity or brand. Maintaining the highest graphics
standards so that the University’s logo and publications are
recognized widely is the responsibility of the Office of Marketing
and Communications, whose creative team this past year won four
American In-House Design Awards.
At St. John’s, we are committed to implementing better ways to
use our resources effectively. Innovative resources management
allows us to provide students, faculty, staff and administrators
with the tools and facilities they need to explore, grow, learn and
fulfill our mission.