Notice of Online Archive

  • This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.

    For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.

A commitment of $1 million to Lafayette College by alumni Arthur W. Conway '68 and William J. Conway '70 will enable Lafayette to establish a new campus residence for first-year students.
Called Conway House, it will house 30 first-year students, two student resident advisers, and a faculty member. Scheduled to open in August, it will feature a close-knit community setting with a living room on the first floor and a lounge/multipurpose room on the lower level. Residents will have opportunities to take part in academic and social activities specially designed for first-year students.

Occupying the building that formerly housed Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Conway House will be the College's second special residence for first-year students. It will complement the P T Farinon House, established in 1996-97, which is similar to Conway House in size and activities. Conway House and Farinon House are located near each other on Farinon Court, off Sullivan Lane.

Lafayette President Arthur J. Rothkopf said, “We are grateful to Art and Bill Conway for their generous support. Their contribution will significantly enhance residential life for generations of first-year students at Lafayette.”

Kevin D. Worthen, assistant dean of students and director of student residence said, “Members of each college class, from first-year students to seniors, face social and academic issues that are specific to their class. With the Conway and Farinon houses, 60 first-year students, a significant portion of the entire class, will have the opportunity to live and learn in a residential environment designed to help them meet the challenges of the first-year experience.

“In addition, the Farinon Court area will become a locus for events and activities benefiting not only Conway House and Farinon House residents, but all first-year students,” Worthen said.

Lafayette has received more than $110 million in gifts and pledges in the $143 million Lafayette Leadership Campaign, the largest campaign in the College's history and one of the most ambitious fundraising efforts ever undertaken by an undergraduate institution of Lafayette's size. The campaign, which was publicly announced last October 24, is scheduled to run through June 30, 2001.

The Conway brothers are co-chief executives of DialAmerica Marketing, Inc., Mahwah, N.J., one of the nation's largest telemarketing service organizations. In 1996, they received Lafayette's George Washington Kidd, Class of 1836 Award, presented annually to alumni who have earned distinction in their careers.

The Conways feel it is important to help young people shift from the highly structured environment of high school to the independence of college life.

“That transition can be rough,” William Conway said. “The new first-year living experience will give freshmen the commonality of academic purpose and shared social activities.”

“It's very important that kids start out of the box right,” Arthur Conway agreed. “This will be a great environment for freshmen.” He said the brothers' decision to support their alma mater so generously was influenced by their high regard for Lafayette's president.

“Art Rothkopf has made a big difference at Lafayette,” he said. “If you don't think the guy at the top is doing a good job, it's difficult to step up to the plate.”

William Conway said, “When you make a contribution, you hope the money will be used wisely, and we feel the money will be used wisely at Lafayette.”

Categorized in: News and Features