Mission Advancement
Parent Q&A
What is the NDA Capital Campaign?
The Expansion for Excellence Campaign was created in early 2006 (and is expected to continue until mid to late 2008) to raise funds for Notre Dame Academy to initiate a second phase of capital growth and development of campus facilities.
The objective of this three-phased program of physical growth and educational enhancement is to provide quality teaching-learning space and facilities for our girls and young women.
The long range plans for the new construction were accelerated due to the exorbitant cost required to renovate the Convent into 21st century educational space and the subsequent decision to take it down.
What will the funds be used for?
The funds raised in the Expansion for Excellence Campaign will be used to initiate the construction of a new Early Childhood Education Center that will be constructed on the site of the Convent and will become the new home for grades Pre-K through Grade 2.
A new Arts & Humanities Building will be erected on a site located between the Library and the existing High School. It will house a Campus Chapel, a Dining Hall for the high school, a Performing Arts Studio for music, theatre and dance, two Arts Studios, (these studios will be used for grades 6 thought 12, four classrooms for the humanities and a Commons where students can congregate and socialize.
When the Early Childhood Education Center is completed, the present Cottage will be converted to an Art and Music Center for grades Pre-K through 5.
Site improvements will be completed that will provide off-street school bus drop off and pick up, better traffic flow in front of both the Elementary School and the High School, improved drainage and correct other site-related issues.
Additionally, we will be seeking donors’ commitments to support spiritual and academic programs, global leadership initiatives, expansion of scholarships for those in need and to encourage diversity, to attract and retain the best teachers, to bring the latest teaching technology to our classrooms and to increase NDA’s endowment for the future.
How much money is targeted to be raised?
This second phase of the overall program of physical growth will cost approximately $17.6 million.
The first phase of construction was the renovation of the of the Science Labs in the High School and Elementary School and transformation of the Mary Lodge into the Visitation Center along with the renovation of the Cottage. The funds for Phase 1 came primarily from philanthropic sources.
This second phase will entail the taking of a mortgage, which has already been secured at an exceptionally beneficial arrangement for NDA.
The remainder of $5.6 million needs to be raised from philanthropy.
Of this goal of $5.6 million, as of Feb, 2008, the Expansion for Excellence Campaign has raised over $4.2 million from less than 100 gifts!
Every dollar raised for the construction portion of this project will save an additional dollar, which will not have to be borrowed.
The third phase of NDA’s overall strategic plan for growth is the eventual construction of a Cultural/Athletics Center on campus.
There is no specific goal at this time for the non-construction objectives of the Expansion for Excellence Campaign. The highest organizational priority has been placed on the successful raising of $5.6 million from philanthropic sources.
What is the timeframe for the targeted construction projects?
The construction of the Early Childhood Education Center, the first segment of this phase, began in January 2007 with a ground blessing ceremony presided over by the leader of the Congregation of Notre Dame in the United States, Sr. Mary Caplice, Sr. Stacy Hanrahan, Chair of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees, a group of our earliest donors to the campaign and the 1st Graders who helped bless the ground.
The expected completion date for the Early Childhood Education Center is April 2008.*
The planned completion date for the Arts and Humanities Building is slated for late 2009.*
Who approved these plans?
The Board of Trustees approved the overall three-phased plan for developing the campus at NDA and the specific plans for the Early Childhood Education Center and the Arts & Humanities Center.
Additionally, the Congregation of Notre Dame reviewed and approved the plans for the project.
Who are the architects and what are their credentials?
The Geddis Partnership is the architect company for our project. They have an extensive and impressive record of designing educational space and we have been inspired and excited by our collaborative and creative relationship with them.
Their firm was founded by Barbara L. Geddis, FAIA. She graduated from Vassar College and studied at the Yale University of Art and Architecture, and was awarded her Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects in 1994, she was the first Connecticut woman architect to receive that honor.
You can learn more about their experience and credentials by visiting their website: www.tgparch.com
Have all the plans been approved by the NYC Dept. of Buildings?
There is a long list of approvals required to construct buildings such as we are planning. We have had the benefit of legal counsel assisting the various steps with a myriad of governmental agencies.
All of the approvals necessary for the construction of the Early Childhood Education Center have been received and the construction is well underway.
The approval process for the Arts & Humanities Building has begun and is expected to be completed by the spring of 2008 at which time we will begin construction.
The two projects were considered separately to facilitate the approval process. The Early Childhood Education Center was considered a “replacement” building for the Convent, which originally stood on the same footprint.
How will my daughter(s) benefit from this campaign?
Improved educational resources will benefit all of the students of Notre Dame today and for many years to come.
The atmosphere created by the additional space will greatly enhance your daughters’ educational experience.
Pre-K and Kindergarten students will have heated floors;
All Elementary School students will have more space;
Faculty will have space for meetings and special programs;
High School students will have their own dining hall and Commons for congregating and social interaction;
High School students will have performing arts space and arts studios;
The Cottage will be entirely dedicated to musical and visual arts for Grades K through 5; and a significant and sacred focal point of the entire project is the construction of a new Chapel for the entire Notre Dame community to enjoy.
Additionally, funds raised for non-construction purposes will be used to enrich academic programming, offer scholarships, enhance teaching technology, and provide for an increased endowment, which will help make NDA’s future more secure.
Safety concerns about traffic patterns and school bus drop-off/pick up and enhanced parking are obvious improvements that have an effect on students, parents, faculty and staff.
Will more students be enrolled in NDA after the improvements?
No. There are no plans to increase the number of students at either the Elementary School or the High School.
Will the small school campus atmosphere change?
No. The new buildings have been designed to blend with the atmosphere and “look” of the entire campus.
The new traffic patterns and parking will work well with the space we have and the “feel” of the campus.
Margarite’s Way will be extended throughout the grounds for student and pedestrian walkways and will add continuity and beauty to the campus.
From what sources are the funds expected to come? And how much is expected to be raised from the parents?
The Expansion for Excellence Campaign is segmented into various divisions, which are each concentrating on a different constituency of NDA. All are very active at this point of the Campaign. The Parents’ Division is actually the last segment to be initiated.
The greater percentage of the funds raised to date have come from alumnae and special friends and supporters of NDA and from the Congregation of Notre Dame itself.
Add Table here
Why doesn’t Notre Dame Academy raise more funds from Alumnae like other schools?
The alumnae of NDA have always been supportive with their time and philanthropy. However, NDA has not had an organized alumnae relations program and the present Alumnae Association is only in operation for one year. Tremendous strides have been made in a short time but a really thriving alumnae program takes years to evolve.
Another contributing factor is that NDA’s overall fund development program needs to grow among all constituencies. This Expansion for Excellence Campaign and the new fundraising leadership, infrastructure, atmosphere and systems it is helping to create will go a long way to enhancing NDA’s fundraising capabilities.
Of the $4.2 million dollars raised in response to the challenge of the CND, a significant portion has come from alumnae.
With tuition, fees, annual fund and now the capital campaign how is the average parent expected to afford these expenses?
We understand that philanthropic support in addition to any family’s financial requirements is sacrificial. We appreciate whatever our NDA families can contribute all the more.
We hope that our families will see and agree with the fact that the education provided to our daughters is truly outstanding and when compared to other institutions our tuition is competitive.
No family should ever feel that a gift to NDA is mandatory or should in any way ever jeopardize the family’s financial stability.
Will tuition continue to rise at a pace considerably higher than the inflation rate?
Tuition is calculated on the costs and expected costs of providing our daughters a comprehensive and excellent education from Pre-K through Grade 12. As faculty compensation needs to keep pace with inflation and expenses for operating the school increase, the Board of Trustees monitor the rate of increase in tuition.
The shortfall between tuition and the true costs of operating the school is met by the philanthropic support of all friends and supporters of NDA. That is the single most important purpose of the Annual Fund.
Another important element of this financial view is the endowment. Many other institutions are blessed with large endowments, which generate income to sustain operational expenses and help support capital expenditures. NDA has only a small endowment having previously reinvested income generated from philanthropy back into the school, its programs and physical plant.
So, the more successful NDA can be in the Expansion for Excellence Campaign and in all of its philanthropic programs to support the capital improvements, grow both the Annual Fund and the endowment, the less susceptible NDA will be in the future to negative financial factors such as the price of oil, services and other aspects of operating a school.
Can the funds be donated over a long term?
Commitments to the Expansion for Excellence Campaign can be pledged over a three to five year period.
Planned Gifts can be discussed. A planned gift is one where the benefit to NDA comes sometime in the future, such as with a bequest.
Other types of creative giving plans can be discussed. Please call the Campaign Office at 718-815-5777.
How can we hold NDA to the project timeline completion dates?
You ARE Notre Dame. Notre Dame would not exist without parents and, in fact, Notre Dame came into being because a father, Mr. William Miller Jones, went to Montreal to ask the highly respected and admired CNDs to come to Staten Island and start a school. This father found the first school building for the Sisters and helped to secure the mortgage for it. He served as an advisor and benefactor to the Sisters and the students throughout his life. NDA would never have come into being without this parent.
The Board, Administration and Faculty of NDA are totally committed to the education of your children. The successful completion of this campaign and the construction project is the second organizational priority after their commitment to your daughters’ education.
*The project timeline is susceptible to the normal exigencies of projects such as this, i.e., the cooperation of the weather, the date for the delivery of the steel, the approvals from government agencies.