After making the announcement more than nine months ago, Villanova has taken its first step towards the next step of the Campus Master Plan. On Aug. 28, the University held a groundbreaking ceremony at the former Kennedy Hall and soon-to-be Falvey Library at Vic Maggitti Hall, which is scheduled to open by winter of 2027.
“A centerpiece of Villanova’s campus, the new Falvey Library at Vic Maggitti Hall represents a profound investment in Villanova’s future,” University President Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D., said at the time of the original announcement. “Located in the heart of campus, Maggitti Hall will have an immediate impact on our academic community, serve the University’s long-range goals and be a source of pride for all Villanovans.”
The ceremony was a few hours long, with Father Peter, alumni, faculty and Victor Maggitti, a Villanova graduate of 1956, in attendance. Following the literal groundbreaking and some remarks from a few in attendance, the ceremony was immediately followed by a reception in the Presidents’ Lounge in the Connelly Center. Some current Villanova students, like junior AnNa Hughes, didn’t hear any word of the ceremony until it was already in progress.
“When I walked past the ceremony I was confused [about] what was going on,” Hughes said. “I didn’t hear anything about what was happening beforehand. When I walked by, there were people gathered around the dirt mound, dressed professionally. There was someone speaking. I was giving a tour when someone from admissions chimed in to say that it was the groundbreaking for the new library.”
The new building, estimated to be 150,000 square feet when completed, continues the recently announced Campus Master Plan, which is planned to be finished within the next decade. Maggitti Hall is designed to serve as a new cornerstone of campus life at Villanova.
“Falvey Library’s new home in Vic Maggitti Hall will be transformative, enabling even greater support for the current and future needs of Villanova’s academic community,” University Librarian and Director of Falvey Library Millicent Gaskell said in December. “It will be a modern, welcoming space for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to come together as they advance their intellectual pursuits.”
For students like Hughes, the value of the new library is apparent, but there is frustration among the general body over construction in such a main part of Villanova’s campus.
“As a student, I think it’s cool that they’re doing construction on campus,” Hughes said. “I, however, wish it was in a different location because the area blocked off is a popular throughway between other spots on campus and it impedes my path from class to class. I’m excited to see how the building looks once it’s finished but hope the construction [doesn’t] cause too much disruption in such a central part of campus.”
As the Master Plan continues, construction may just become a tradeoff for Villanovans with exciting renovations and building redesigns planned over the next 10 years. This is not exclusive to Main Campus, as the plan showed possible renovations for West and South Campus buildings.
For Maggitti, a lifelong Villanovan, he is aware of the necessity for academic facilities, particularly libraries, to be as up to date as possible.
“Villanova’s library was important to me when I was a student, and it is even more critical in today’s world,” Maggitti said. “The value and relevance of academic libraries have only expanded in the 21st century. All top-tier universities are expected to have an exceptional library with technology, study space, staffing and collections vital to research and learning—and Villanova should be no different.”
