A $4 million gift to Russell Sage College will help expand academic programs and renovate a former residence into an all-women dormitory, the first since the college went co-ed in 2020.
The 19th Century French House on the Russell Sage campus in downtown Troy has high ceilings and detailed, hardwood floors.
“At one time, it was an all-women's residence when the college was still an all-women's school, and it was exclusively for French majors. So, only French majors lived in this building, which is where it got its name,” said Gish.
Russell Sage Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications Jennifer Gish gave a tour of the three-story building that will be once again used as an all-women’s residence.
“When our wonderful donor, Donna Esteves, was here as a student, it was still an all-women's college and that heritage was very important to her. She really feels it's where she found her voice as a woman, because of the environment that was just so supportive of that. We like to think that we still have that sense of support for our students, even though we're now co-educational across two campuses in Albany and Troy,” said Gish.
A $4 million donation will renovate the French House and rename it in honor of Esteves. Russell Sage, which is celebrating its 107th anniversary, was founded as a women’s college. In 2020, the college went fully co-ed, including dormitories. Having the French/Esteves House available next year to house up to 15 students is being welcomed by Lauren Bush, a graduate student who spoke on behalf of the student body during a press conference.
“When I started here, the whole campus was all-women. So, there's a lot of people who feel more comfort in that in today's society. And I think it's important just to have that as an option as all of our dorms are now co-ed. I really think it's important to keep our history in mind and just have the option for people coming in,” said Bush.
Esteves is the largest donor in Russell Sage history, giving more than $20 million to the college since graduating in 1970. The donation detailed by officials Thursday will also help expand and create new online advanced degree programs, a priority for the institution.
College Provost Theresa Hand said making online education more accessible has become a goal after the COVID-19 pandemic changed learning habits for many and imperiled some private colleges.
“The students really flipped during the pandemic. Previously, they were very comfortable with the on-campus component and lower percentage requesting the online-component, but they really got very comfortable with it. So, we had to make that flip, as well,” said Hand.
Two of the new programs have already launched – masters’ degrees in Sport Science and in Criminal Justice and Community Corrections. A Doctor of Nursing Practice program is pending state approval.
Hand says the new programs are designed to meet the immediate economic needs of the region.
“We focused on areas that fill designated workforce needs in preparing nurse practitioners; coaches that are able to assist athletes with their physical and mental health; mental health counselors; occupational and physical therapists; and those working in the criminal justice system,” said Hand.
Russell Sage College President Chris Ames says building up new academic programs, including curriculum development and marketing, can be costly.
“What this gift does is to support those startup costs that, eventually, the programs will more than cover by their third years. In short, the gift is an investment, an investment in Russell Sage's future that will provide dividends for generations,” said Ames.
