By Hannah Jaenicke and Michael Novinson

The Jaharis Family Foundation, Inc. has pledged $10 million for the building of a new dormitory on the Orchard Lot to be named after former President Thomas R. Tritton, according to a Haverford Communications Office statement released Friday to The Bi-College News.

"I’m totally flabbergasted and astonished, especially because Steve Jaharis is one of my favorite people in the world," Tritton said. "I want to go back to college because I want to live there."

The pledge requires that the college raise an additional $10 million. The additional money can be allocated toward any of Haverford’s key fundraising priorities: financial aid; the hiring of 25-30 new tenure-track faculty members; or Master Plan priorities, which include constructing new dorms, arts spaces, faculty housing and a physical plant and renovating the Campus Center, Ryan Gym and Stokes.

"A lot of things would flow better if we have a new dorm on campus," said Steven M. Jaharis ‘82. Jaharis sits on his family foundation’s Board of Directors. Tritton said he recruited Jaharis to be on Haverford’s Board of Managers in the mid-2000s.

If the college fails to raise the additional funds by December 31, 2012, the Jaharis pledge will not be paid. Jaharis said requiring a matching gift follows the foundation’s precedent and gives the initial pledge more leverage.

"It usually helps with people on the fence," he said.

Jaharis said his family’s pledge would be paid over a few years so the foundation can continue supporting other projects. He anticipates construction on the new dorm can begin before all of the donations have been received.

"Our hope is that with a pledge, the college can secure financing and a loan to get the project started," he said.

President Dr. Stephen G. Emerson ‘74 said that the administration was "just delighted" by the pledge. Dean of Student Life and Master Plan Steering Committee member Steve Watter agreed.

"It is wonderful that alumnus Steve Jaharis has seen fit to give such a generous gift to the college," Watter said.

Jaharis decided to name the dorm after Tritton out of respect for the former president’s character and accomplishments at Haverford. Tritton served as Haverford’s 12th president from 1997 to 2007, and was told Friday afternoon by Jaharis that the dorm would be named after him.

Jaharis went to his family following April’s Board of Managers meeting to request the pledge. His participation on the Master Plan Steering Committee made him realize the importance of new dormitory space.

"We are really at a breaking point in terms of having residents here," Jaharis said.

He said the current housing situation harms students’ social lives since dorm common spaces have been turned into bedrooms and more than one-third of the freshmen class has been squeezed into the Haverford College Apartments. He hopes the additional dorm would allow Haverford to be more flexible with the size of future incoming classes.

Director of Student Housing Marianne Smith wrote in an e-mail that the administration is "most grateful for this exciting opportunity to be able to create more social spaces in the dorms and increase the number of first-year students living at the core of the campus."

Ron Tola, director of facilities management and a member of the Master Plan Steering Committee, said the new dorm would include "as many amenities as possible," but could not confirm whether or not it would primarily be for first year students. Facilities Management will administer the project, and design specifics will not be finalized until all of the funds have been secured, an architect and engineer enlisted, the design approved, and the contracts bid for.

The building will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification standards, in accordance with school policy instituted by Tritton. Such certification demands an environmentally friendly design that will be built with materials from sustainable, renewable and local sources, will conserve energy over time and aims to minimize the environmental impact to the site.

Haverford’s first LEED-certified building was the Gardner Integrated Athletic Center, which achieved a gold certification—the second highest award available.

Watter said a committee to decide on the design and amenities of the future dorm will be formed soon.

"Students will be well-represented on it [the committee] so student input can be given the significant weight it deserves," Watter said.

Several staff, students and administrators declined to comment, with many saying they didn’t know enough about the situation.

The Jaharis Family Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit foundation based in New York City, donated nearly $7.7 million in the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2007, according to the most recent 990 forms available. In 2006-2007, the foundation donated about $3 million to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, about $1.5 million to Tufts, and about $1 million to Haverford.

The foundation has given at least $25,000 to Haverford every year since 2002. Steven Jaharis is one of five foundation directors.

Steven Jaharis has funded a program that enables Haverford pre-med students to provide medical care to underserved populations. A family medical practitioner in Chicago, Jaharis had supported Emerson’s efforts to ban smoking on campus
in fall 2007.

When explaining why his family’s foundation pledged for a new dorm, Jaharis emphasized his love for Haverford.

"When current students leave Haverford, I hope they remember their experience and appreciate it in the way that I did," he said.

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