Lackland Center - Press Release Archive

Building is the Centerpiece of Centenary’s Plans for Growth and Educational Distinction.

Hackettstown, April 25, 2007--Centenary College came closer to its goal of becoming one of America’s leading small colleges when the Hackettstown Planning Board voted site plan for approval for a student and cultural center at its meeting last night.

The state-of-the-art facility is one of the most ambitious additions to the campus in over 100 years.  It has been designed to enrich student life and bring new cultural opportunities to northwest New Jersey.  But it means even more to College administrators.  According to Centenary’s president, Kenneth L. Hoyt, Ph.D., “the building will be the centerpiece of a master plan to transform Centenary into one of the leading educational institutions in the twenty-first century.”

View pictures of the new David and Carol Lackland Center here.

The 70,000-square-foot building is scheduled for completion in 2009.  It will be named in honor of Carol Burgess Lackland, Class of 1954, and her husband, David A. Lackland, in acknowledgement of their lead gift toward the project, an $8 million pledge which constitutes the largest single gift to Centenary in its 140-year history.  It will house a performing arts center with a 500-seat theatre, a black box theater, a dance studio and a communication wing that combines Centenary’s Comcast-licensed television studio and its listener-supported public radio station.  It will also contain a 405 seat dining facility, a 55 seat café and, classrooms, faculty offices, conference areas and a variety of student lounges and study spaces.

“The Lackland Center will help Centenary maintain its status as the fastest growing private college in New Jersey,” said Hoyt.  “It will help create a campus environment capable of serving the 3,000 or more students projected to attend Centenary by the end of the decade,” he added.  In fact, the new Center will provide this growing student body with a facility for studying, dining and socializing.  It’s spacious dining room and comfortable, informal spaces for group study and co-curricular activities will foster Centenary’s emphasis on student-centered learning, unparalleled service and frequent interaction between faculty and students.

Performing Arts Students Will Learn from Professional Actors in 500-Seat Theater.

For fine arts students, the Lackland Center will position the already excellent performing arts program at Centenary as a leading training ground for theatre arts students and a major resource for professionals in the field.  

Currently Centenary has a 174-seat theatre and its year-round professional arts venue—the Centenary Performing Arts Guild—presents 35 to 40 events each season, or a total of more than 130 performances.  The Guild was started 20 years ago and is the region’s only Actors’ Equity theatre.  It is also one of only a few theatres affiliated with a college that uses students in productions as actors, stage managers and in other jobs.

The new Lackland Center will house a 22,000-square-foot performing arts center, which is expected to be the most sophisticated performing arts space in northwest New Jersey.  It will house a 500-seat theatre plus a black box theater, a dance studio, scene shop, a costume shop green room and dressing rooms.   

The new theatre will allow Centenary to expand its programming and attract the best faculty and students to its already strong program.  Performances that cannot be accommodated on the small stage now can be added, such as ballets and music festivals and, since there will be multiple spaces, more than one performance can take place at the same time.  

The fine arts curriculum will be enhanced with classes that are not possible in the current space.  The new dance studio will enable dance classes and there will be many opportunities for students to engage with professional performers and performances.  Students will also get plenty of practical experience in technical aspects of performing arts with classes in lighting, sound and set design using the latest, state-of-the-art equipment.

The Lackland Center’s new 10,500-square-foot communication wing will be outfitted with the latest equipment and cutting-edge technology.  Students and faculty will be able to write, produce and direct an array of programs broadcast throughout the region on the College’s television and radio stations, and learn from some of the best teachers in the most modern settings.

The New Center Will Be a Valuable Resource for the Region.

The Lackland Center is also expected to have a huge impact on the town of Hackettstown and the region. As the only four-year college in the area, Centenary College already serves as an educational and cultural hub for northwest New Jersey.   

The Center will enhance its role as a cultural and educational destination with a variety of theatre and musical performances, lectures and other cultural and educational events.  The increased number of visitors to these events will bring life, vitality and revenue to the town of Hackettstown.  The Lackland Center will also be a regional resource to business and community groups who can use its contemporary conference center to hold meetings and events.

The Lackland Center is being built as part of phase two of the Campaign for Centenary College.  In 1999, Centenary launched the first phase of its capital fundraising campaign, which raised more than $15.5 million for essential upgrades to campus facilities and academic programs.  Some highlights included the renovation of the exterior of the Edward W. Seay Administration Building, establishment of the Engelhard Corporation International Center, expansion of the College’s Equestrian Center, and the construction of the Robert E. and Virginia N. Littell Technology Center.

The second phase, officially announced on April 20, 2006, is supporting the expansion and renovation of the John M. Reeves Student Recreation Center, enhancement of facility programs and technology offerings, as well as the construction of The Lackland Center.