The Allan and Michele Gorab Alumni House

The Allan and Michele Gorab Alumni House

Support the Alumni House now
with your Online Pledge

See below for our Special
Commemorative Opportunities

The Alumni Relations Office, bursting with activities and ideas, now has a better home to serve the University’s more than 50,000 alumni. Our alumni have a special place on campus where they can connect, a place that they can call “home.” The Allan and Michele Gorab Alumni House fosters the Alumni Association’s strong commitment to a University that continues to enrich the lives of countless individuals. The Alumni Association has agreed to secure $500,000 in private gifts toward the construction of the Alumni House. Our campaign is well on its way to reaching its objective.

Campaign Chair Allan Gorab ’72 and his wife, Michele, have made a major commitment and benchmark gift to the project. In recognition of their leadership and support, the Alumni House bears their name. An additional leadership gift to honor late biology professor Dr. John Rosengren has been made by Margaret Landi ’74. In recognition of this gift, the biology laboratories bear Dr. Rosengren’s name.


Rear of the alumni house	Interior view
Click here to view additional renovation photos. Click here to view photos from the Allan and Michele Gorab Alumni House Dedication.

Situated at the site of Oldham Pond in North Haledon, the scenic, 27-acre Oldham Pond and its adjacent 7,000-square-foot building were donated to the University by the Bayer Corporation in 1998. Located a half-mile from the main campus, it is an ideal setting for the University’s Alumni Relations Office, as well as a place where the Alumni Association can expand its activities to accommodate ever-increasing numbers of active alumni.

While the setting is rustic and beautiful, the building has required extensive renovation en route to becoming the “home away from home” for returning alumni.

The building has become a place for special alumni celebrations, events, conferences, and meetings. A large deck overlooking the pond hosts outdoor events. Inside, the space holds offices for the Alumni Relations staff and the Alumni Executive Council, as well as meeting rooms of various sizes that are available for alumni, faculty, and friends of the University. A portion of the building’s lower level is committed to the University’s distinguished Biology Department, where faculty and students analyze and explore the natural ecosystem surrounding the house.

Your Generosity

There are many opportunities to give, all of which are listed here. Every gift, no matter what amount, will help to finance our new home. As always, your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

All alumni who make gifts of $1,000 or more to our campaign will be listed on a special plaque on the Alumni House Donor Wall in the house's reception area. All donations will be recognized in our Book of Donors. Special recognition opportunities are listed below.

Special Commemorative Opportunities

Sweethearts Campaign

Alumni sweethearts occupy a unique place among William Paterson graduates. Many made their first plans for the future while still on campus. For these alumni, the University is offering a special way to celebrate their years together: the “Sweetheart Wall.” Alumni couples who give a gift of $1,000 or more will have their names listed on a special plaque commemorating the early years of their lifelong relationship. This is a perfect way to celebrate a wedding anniversary, birthday, or other milestone event. Pledge Now.

It’s like returning together to that special place and
carving your initials in a tree. We think it’s a significant and touching way to celebrate our love and marriage by giving back to the place that gave us our start in life and brought us together.
—Russell and Ethel Muter, Class of 1973

The Campaign for the John Rosengren Laboratories

During his long career, Dr. John Rosengren influenced many William Paterson students with his love of teaching and breadth of knowledge. Donors who wish to support his ongoing legacy to science students with a gift of $1,000 or more will be recognized on a special plaque in the reception room. Pledge Now.

Like most teachers, Dr. John Rosengren’s grasp of his subject was great, but in addition, he had joie de vivre. This joy of both life and his work was seen in the enthusiasm he had for his classes and his subject. The University acknowledges John Rosengren’s stellar career and has provided us with a magnificent means of paying tribute—the new John Rosengren Laboratories in the Allan and Michele Gorab Alumni House.
—Margaret Landi, V.M.D., Class of 1974

Honoring Veterans

You are invited to participate in the special commemorative plaque campaign honoring alumni who served in the U.S. armed forces. With a gift of $1,000 or more, you may have the name of an alumna/alumnus veteran featured on a plaque displayed in the main reception area of the house. Pledge Now.

I hope you will join me, Patricia Sottili ’74, Joe Di Giacomo ’73, and Terry Brennan ’74—as well as other former veterans and friends of the Vets—to support the Allan and Michele Gorab Alumni House. This is our chance to lead the way for others, like we did in the military, and as students at William Paterson.
—Michael Driscoll, Class of 1974

“Solid Foundation” Campaign

Every gift towards the Allan and Michele Gorab Alumni House contributes to a solid foundation for current and future graduates. As a symbol of the strong base of William Paterson alumni, each contribution of $500 will be recognized with a specially inscribed brick placed near the entrance of the house. Pledge Now.