Sam Hauck | staff writer

At the end of this summer, Duquesne University opened its doors to a brand-new student apartment building on Forbes Avenue. Since then, the building has been renamed and Duquesne awarded two students living in the building a special $5,000-$10,000 scholarship.

In a ceremony on Sept. 12, university President Ken Gormley announced that the new residence hall would be named after board member John “Jack” R. McGinley Jr.

McGinley said he was surprised with the announcement of the residence hall being named in his honor.

“I feel incredibly honored with the naming and perhaps more importantly the scholarships that will be awarded for current and future students. I have benefited greatly from the commitment of the Spiritan community to Duquesne and feel very privileged to serve on the board,” McGinley said.

As a result of McGinley’s contributions to campus, the university has not only named a residence hall after him, but they have also created a scholarship fund for two students who live in McGinley Hall.

Christine Nguyen, a junior Physician’s Assistant student was also one of the first students to receive the McGinley Hall Scholarship.

“Then I got surprised. I heard President Gormley talking about this new scholarship and I was curious how to apply. He revealed that the recipients were already decided, and I was one of the two scholars chosen,” Nguyen said.

In addition to being a Physician’s Assistant student, Nguyen is also a Duquesne PreOrientation Director, a nominee for the Spirit of Diversity award from the Center for Diversity and Student Inclusion and a Dean of Students’ Excellence in Leadership Award nominee.

“I FaceTimed my parents crying in the back room that I got a scholarship. Not only does this scholarship provide financial relief for me and my family, but it really motivated me to lock in on my studies and keep doing what I’m doing,” Nguyen said.

Aleksey Zahn, a Sports Information and Media student, is another McGinley Hall Scholars award recipient and resident in McGinley Hall.

Zahn is a student aide for the Center for Student Involvement, helps with the Student Government Association, an intern for the Duquesne University football team and is a member of the Duquesne Men’s Club Hockey Team.

“It has been great so far. It’s nice to have the dorm/apartment feel while actually still being on campus. The communal space is really nice because you get to still hang out with your roommates and friends while still being able to go to your own room if you need privacy or need to study or do homework. I definitely recommend trying to live there if you have the chance,” Zahn said.

Formerly known as Forbes Avenue Apartments, the building was built in partnership with the Radnor Property Group. The project was announced in December of 2022, according to Duquesne’s website.

The residence hall is home to juniors, seniors and graduate students. Students were able to move into their new city apartments on Aug. 24. With 11 stories and 556 beds, the residence hall provides studio, two-bedroom and four-bedroom options for students.

The university has set a $500,000 allocation of the endowment to support scholarships for residents of McGinley Hall. The residents should present a strong academic record but of equal weight, a track record of service to the university community and even the local community, McGinley said.

Similar to the recipients, McGinley himself is heavily involved on campus. He is a Kline Law School alumni and a board chair at the university. He and his family have taken action to support Duquesne students for several years.

McGinley created the McGinley Public Service Fellowships, the McGinley Rice Symposium on Justice for Vulnerable Populations, and he helped raise over $12 million from board members and alumni for the university’s new College of Osteopathic Medicine.

“Members of the board are very able and deeply committed to assuring that the men and women of Duquesne have a great experience,” McGinley said.
Zahn was unable to attend the ceremony but was still honored for his overall contributions to the university.

“This scholarship has definitely positively impacted my life. It is nice to know that all the hard work that I have done in the first two years of being a student here has paid off. It is definitely worth it to get involved with as many things as you possibly can. If it is for your resume, career or even just experience and growth, getting involved as much as you can will definitely make the experience in college worth it,” Zahn said.

Students who are interested in living in McGinley Hall in the future can get information on Lumina Communities from the Duquesne University Website.