A new official residence has been purchased for the President of Cabrini College. Known as Cabrini House, Dr. Marie Angelella George is set to move in at the end of this school year and the residence will serve as home for the future presidents of the school as well. The president is required to live in the house provided by the college as per contract.
The new residence, 185 West Matsonford Road, will not only serve as home of the president but also an off-campus site for events and meetings. It is ADA accessible with adequate parking and a spacious lawn, making it suitable to accommodate a large number of guests comfortably.
“It meets the evolving needs of the college to provide an off-campus but easily accessible facility for meetings with donors, alumni, faculty, staff and students,” Deb Takes, chair of the Board of Trustees, said in an email to the Cabrini community.
The former residence, 7 Crow Creek Lane, will be listed and sold between $750,000-$850,000. The new house was purchased for $1.4 million. The money used to purchase the house comes from long-term investments by the college, which Cabrini Magazine lists at $23.3 million for fiscal year 2011.
“The current residence at Crow Creek Lane is not suitable for what the Board envisions the role of the president will be in friend-raising and fundraising as we enlarge the donor base, and move forward with the Master Plan and the college’s strategic goals,” Takes said. “For several years, the college has relied on the generosity of trustees, alumni, and donors to host a number of off-campus alumni and donor events. That generosity is deeply appreciated but we can’t do that forever.”
It is reasonable, as with any big purchase, students and parents would question why money needs to be spent when the Woodcrest Mansion on campus serves as an event site for the college.
“With increasing efforts to generate ancillary revenue through rentals of college buildings and facilities, the installation of air-conditioning and improved heating in the college’s historically significant Woodcrest Mansion have increased its desirability for weddings, other social occasions, and meetings of civic groups such as The Radnor Conservancy,” Daniel DiPrinzio, Media Relations manager for Cabrini College, said. “Meetings with neighbors to describe the Gateway project have been, and will continue to be, held in the Mansion.”
DiPrinzio also added that inquiries about the Mansion rentals have almost doubled and bookings are up this year over last. Sodexo, the catering services in the Mansion and partner with the college, have also really increased efforts to market the Mansion.
The new property on Matsonford Road will serve the college’s needs now and in the future. There will be spaces designated for the president to live and certain spaces designated for college functions.
“The first floor and grounds are designated as ‘public space’ to be used for college events and there are specific areas of the grounds where a temporary or semi-permanent tent can be erected for larger college functions. Other areas of the property are reserved for the president’s residence,” Takes said.
Cabrini House will serve trustees, donors, alumni, faculty, staff, students and all those who are honored by the college. The house represents a positive growth for the college through partnerships, fundraising and events.
