Twenty-five years ago the UP campus lost a parking lot and gained Corrado Hall. Dedicated on September 25, 1998, Corrado was the first new residence hall built since the construction of Shipstad Hall in 1967. Some crowding had occurred during those thirty years, largely due to expansion of student enrollment, which had nearly doubled in that period and was on course to reach 3000 undergraduate students by our Centennial Year, 2001. (The academic infrastructure grew in strict parallel, the 1969 Buckley Center not followed until Franz Hall in 1995.)
Named for Albert, ’55 and Susanne Corrado, long-time leaders and donors involved in the continuing growth and development of the University of Portland, the new residence hall signaled a major step forward.
Both Corrados are Portland natives who met as teens and have been committed to each other, their family, their faith, city, and this university throughout their lives. Albert grew up in Portland, a child of immigrants – college was a dream – and UP the fulfillment of that dream. He enrolled as a commuter student, worked multiple jobs during college, graduated in 1955, and found UP lingered in him ever after. Adding dreams. The 1950s model of the first-generation student success story. Achieving a successful career, Albert served on the University Board of Regents beginning in 1991 and as chair from 1997-2002. A former commuter student, he was now an advocate for on-campus living, seeing residence hall construction as the ‘next logical step’ because on-campus living ‘is part of the Holy Cross tradition of teaching students’. [Beacon, November 6, 1997, January 21, 1999] The Corrados also provide major support for student scholarships, in addition to helping fund many programs and campus buildings and academic initiatives through the years.
On receiving an honorary degree from UP in 2001, Mr. Corrado shared his experience and love of the University with the graduating class, advising them:
“I believe that the University of Portland at its best is a seed, a kernel, a nugget inside you, that stays with you, that will grow and grow and grow over the years for your whole life. […] It’s different for every one of us, that seed. But it’s there now, inside you and it will be there all your life. My only advice to you today is this: Let it grow”.
Corrado Hall is one of nine residence halls where The University of Portland lives out its mission of teaching and learning, faith and formation, service and leadership; in short, a learning community where seeds can take root and grow.
Resources
Corrado Hall Groundbreaking, The Beacon, November 6, 1997
Students Move in to Corrado Hall, The Beacon, September 10, 1998
Corrado Hall Dedication, The Beacon, October 1, 1998
Pamplin School of Business Hall of Fame, Albert Corrado
Spirit of Holy Cross Award, Albert and Susanne Corrado, 2013
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