After receiving a major donation this past summer, Eureka College has completed the construction of the Mark R. Shenkman Reagan Research Center in Melick Library on campus. The research center will eventually house every book ever written about former U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan, a 1932 graduate of Eureka College.
Shenkman, an alumnus of the George Washington University graduate school program, met Eureka College’s Director of Development John D. Morris at a Board of Trustees meeting this past spring. A big fan of Reagan, Shenkman decided to pay a visit to the campus where the 40th president received his education.
“He was very enthused, very excited about the formative years of “Dutch” Reagan,” Eureka College President J. David Arnold said. “He said, ‘While you still need all of the materials associated with Reagan, what would be even better is a place to house the materials.”’
According to Eureka College’s Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Mike Murtagh, Shenkman is extremely involved in higher education and philanthropic work.
“He is a highly successful businessman, and has a real affinity for American history, especially Ronald Reagan, who is the quintessential story of American opportunity,” Murtagh said, “Reagan was a doer, and was involved in everything during his college years. Shenkman is a believer in that, and he sees Eureka College as a landmark for American opportunity.”
After meeting Shenkman at the Board of Trustees meeting, Morris and Murtagh made two trips to visit him in New York and to discuss his donation proposal. As a friendly gesture, they made it possible for Shenkman to go out to sea on the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan.
“We wanted Shenkman to feel appreciated, and to let him know that he has made a difference at our college,” Murtagh said.
“It was Shenkman’s interest to be a part of the Reagan legacy. We gave him that opportunity, and he provided us with the resources to do that,” Morris added.
With Shenkman’s donation, the North Seminar Room of the Melick Library was transformed to include carpeting, wallpaper, furniture, shelving units, and media equipment. A separate air system was also installed, to help control temperature and air moisture, and to preserve the quality of the books and the bindings.
“It’s beautiful. If a room could be a piece of art, it’s a piece of art,” Arnold said.
Shenkman’s donation will also help to acquire the vast collection of approximately 950 books written about Reagan. The complete collection of primary materials will complement the college’s existing collection of documents, letters and objects in the college’s archives and Ronald Reagan Museum, as well as the presence of Reagan’s legacy which lives on through the Ronald Reagan peace garden, the Ronald Reagan Museum, and the Reagan Fellow scholarship program.
“This research center will be another pillar in terms of celebrating our most famous alumnus. We now have a unique collegiate facility, housing every single primary material,” Arnold said.
A public ivy-cutting dedication ceremony of the research center is scheduled for Saturday, September 24 at 4 p.m. at the entrance of Melick Library. The Eureka College chorale will perform and student scholars, referred to as the Reagan Fellows, will host the event. Free tours of the center and the college are available immediately following the ceremony. Upon culmination of the dedication ceremony, the research center will be available to students and scholars all over the world.
“Shenkman has provided our school with yet one more pillar of the Reagan legacy to keep alive at Eureka College, and students should rightfully be proud,” Morris said.
“We are the living legacy, a national landmark, and this is cause for celebration,” Murtagh said.
Shenkman’s donation also made it possible for Eureka College to renovate their archive system in Melick Library. According to Morris with Shenkman’s gift and the renovation of the archive system, Eureka College has actually been able to attract more gifts from other donors. Upon hearing that the college had the ability to care for and preserve artifacts, a commandant in the U.S. Navy donated his photograph collection–with 20 of Reagan’s signatures–to the college.
Although the staff at Melick Library are still drawing up guidelines for how the research center can be utilized, Arnold foresees the room being utilized for classes, student organization meetings, special occasions, and as a study space for both students and academic scholars.
“I have a great sense of pride in this project,” Arnold said, “On behalf of the entire college, I am touched by Shenkman’s generosity. This is something that we can all be proud of.”
Brittany Darby is an SFPA member and a senior at Eureka College.
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