Lilly Endowment Grant: Campus & Community Collaboration Initiative
Community as Campus | Campus as Community
In August 2024, the Lilly Endowment granted Calumet College of St. Joseph $15 million as part of their Campus & Community Collaboration Initiative. CCSJ’s proposal “Campus as Community, Community as Campus” contained engagement efforts that emphasized making the Whiting-Robertsdale a more thriving place to live, learn, work & play. The grant period is 5 years.
A year-long planning process involving leaders and stakeholders throughout the Region identified the projects that would most substantially benefit this collaborative effort.
Transportation
2025
In anticipated collaboration with the Gary Public Transportation Company, CCSJ is committed to expanding access to public transportation to enhance connections throughout the Whiting-Robertsdale area and the South Shore train line.
We also anticipate that rentable bicycles will strengthen connection points within the community and enhance recreational opportunities along the bike trails, taking advantage of the scenic beauty of our parks and natural bodies of water.
Ray P Gallivan Stadium at Whiting High School
Summer, 2025
In partnership with the School City of Whiting, CCSJ will help fund a needed re-turfing of the WHS football field and contribute to stadium amenities and upgrades. As the home of both WHS Football and the CCSJ Sprint Football team, this re-turf will provide greater safety for student-athletes as they train and play, while enhancing the visitor experience.
Oil City Stadium
Fall 2025
In partnership with the City of Whiting, CCSJ will help fund artificial turf at Oil City Stadium, the home of CCSJ & WHS baseball as well as the Northwest Indiana Oilmen. This transformation will allow for greater use of play, extend the baseball season, allow faster turnover between games, enable more frequent rental opportunities and reduce upkeep needs—all of which contribute to the financial health of this municipally-owned stadium while expanding physical health opportunities for athletes.
Fitness/Flora Park
Groundbreaking, 2025-Completion 2026
CCSJ is working with the Hammond Redevelopment Commission to secure land south of the College’s current campus in order to create a fitness/flora park for use by the general public. CCSJ believes this park will enhance the natural beauty of the neighborhood by transforming a former industrial parking lot into a restorative green space where residents will enjoy recreational opportunities among an abundance of flora and fauna.
Bike Trail
2025-2026
Extending the Bike Trail from its effective terminus near PolyJohn, the College will connect the trail through the proposed Fitness/Flora Park and run across the front of the campus, parallel to New York Avenue. This additional segment will nearly complete the loop around the North Basin of George Lake.
Practice Field
Groundbreaking, 2025-Completion 2026
A practice field will occupy space south of Clark House, the College’s residence hall. The field, which will be artificially turfed (and which will not have permanent seating or lighting), will serve as a place for student-athletes to practice, while also providing recreational space for CCSJ’s numerous summer youth camps. We anticipate that the field will be available for community youth leagues.
Internships
Fall 2024
Funded entirely through grant dollars, an internship program will assist local non-profits develop capacity while providing students the opportunity to gain crucial work experience, benefiting the community as a whole.
Parking Lot
2025
Calumet College of St. Joseph will redesign and resurface its main parking lot, enhancing the aesthetics and environment through the addition of landscaped tree islands and greater safety measures. If possible, outdoor recreational facilities will be included in the parking lot’s footprint.
Interior Public Spaces
Three spaces that are open to the public within CCSJ’s main academic building will celebrate “The Land, the People & the Work of the Calumet Region.”
Bernard Art Gallery
2024
The Bernard Art Gallery, adjacent to the Barbara Goodman Theater, will be used to showcase artistic work of College Family members and the general public through a series of shows each year. These shows, though topics may vary, will regularly celebrate the land and place of the Calumet Region.
Room 200
A long-time community gathering space, room 200 will undergo a significant renovation and will feature rotating exhibits and works celebrating the people of the Calumet Region.
7th Floor
Abatement 2024, Construction 2025, Completion Fall 2025/Spring 2026
The crowning gem of the College & Community Collaboration initiative, the 7th floor of the main academic building will transform from an inaccessible, largely unusable space into a community showcase & educational center. New elevators will extend to the building’s top floor where visitors will be welcomed into lounge spaces and the Heritage Room, a large gathering place that will tell the story of Work in the Calumet Region. The 7th floor, which will be made publicly available and privately rentable, will feature a rooftop terrace with sweeping views of the Chicago skyline, Lake Michigan, the Whiting-Robertsdale community and the industry that fuels the nation’s economy.
Made possible by the generous support of:
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