Marymount Manhattan College Receives $4M HECap Grant for New Visual Arts Center
By leveraging private investment with public dollars, the HECap Matching Grant Program stimulates economic growth in private, nonprofit college communities across New York. Of the nearly three dozen HECap grants that were awarded this year, only seven were at the $4 million level or above.
“We are grateful that the State’s HECap program and board have chosen to recognize the great value that this important project has for MMC students and for New York,” said Kerry Walk, MMC’s president. “The Judith Mara Carson Center for Visual Arts will serve as a creative hub that prepares students for the state’s multibillion-dollar creative economy.”
The $4 million HECap grant follows closely on the heels of the College’s announcement of the historic $25 million gift from The Carson Family Charitable Trust to establish the Center and fund scholarships. The Center will occupy 12,000 square feet on the eighth floor and a portion of the seventh floor of MMC’s main building and will serve as a creative hub for teaching and learning, as well as for engaging and invigorating the wider community.
Each year, New York’s private, not-for-profit colleges and universities generate over $88 billion in economic impact and support more than 415,000 jobs statewide. Since the program’s inception, HECap grants have created well over $1 billion in infrastructure spending across New York and more than 14,000 jobs, including 7,000 construction jobs.
“Marymount Manhattan College contributes to and benefits from New York’s world-renowned arts and culture scene, so this generous grant is most fitting and appreciated,” said Rebecca Seawright, New York State Assembly Member for the 76th District, which encompasses MMC. “The Center will serve as a stunning visual arts beacon for the Upper East Side and support the city’s robust creative sector.”
HECap grant applications are reviewed and scored by the New York State Higher Education Capital Investment Review Board, a three-member board whose members are appointed by the Governor, the Senate Majority Leader, and the Assembly Speaker.
New High-Tech Visual Arts Center Opens as Hub of Creativity for MMC Students
This semester, when MMC students are encouraged to think critically and act creatively, they’ll have a new state-of-the-art home to help bring their visions to life. The College has officially opened the doors to its Judith Mara Carson Center for Visual Arts, a stunning 12,000-square-foot space it began constructing in June 2021. Classes will be held there starting Sept. 6.
