St. Lawrence University receives $1.5 million gift to endow leadership position for its new Center for the Environment

Introduced at the end of 2023, the Center builds on decades of research, teaching, and experiential learning opportunities that will empower the next generation of leaders to develop the skills necessary—through education, advocacy, and action—to be agents of change in their communities and around the world.

Leveraging the University’s unique location nestled between the Adirondack Mountains and the St. Lawrence River, with a campus in Canton, the Canaras Conference Center on Upper Saranac Lake, and a compound in Nairobi, Kenya, the Center for the Environment offers opportunities to all students, regardless of major, with potential to earn an Environmental Distinction at graduation.

 “From the moment we heard President Morris speak about the Center for the Environment, Gail and I were thrilled about what it could mean for both the University and the student body,” says Dick Stradling. “We appreciated President Morris’ vision, which matched our passion for the outdoors, including our stays at camp Canaras when our children were young. We hope that by endowing this key leadership position now, we can make an immediate impact while helping to secure the future of the Center.”

The University is close to concluding a national search for what will now be named the Richard ’64 and Gail Stradling Executive Director of the Center for the Environment. Reporting to the vice president of the university and dean of academic affairs, the founding executive director will work closely with the senior leadership team, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders to develop and implement a strategic vision and plan for the Center. The executive director will be responsible for developing new projects and opportunities that will advance St. Lawrence University’s sustainability commitments and provide opportunities for integrative experiences for all students. Final candidates are currently being interviewed for the role.

“So much of the success of a strategic initiative like the Center for the Environment hinges on the leadership and vision of the person at the helm,” says University President Kate Morris. “Through their incredibly generous gift, Dick and Gail have recognized the pivotal role our first executive director will play in realizing the Center’s ambitious goals. They have been strong, committed supporters of St. Lawrence for well over two decades and we could not be more grateful for their continued trust and remarkable partnership.”

“Through their incredibly generous gift, Dick and Gail have recognized the pivotal role our first executive director will play in realizing the Center’s ambitious goals.”
— President Kate Morris

The Stradlings have a long history of blending their passions with their philanthropy. Dick graduated from St. Lawrence with a chemistry degree and after obtaining his MBA from the Wharton School of Business, he spent 33 years at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, where he retired as vice president of quality assurance worldwide in 1999. The Stradlings established the Stradling Student Research Endowment in 1998 to support undergraduate opportunities for outstanding chemistry students. His brother, Samuel S. Stradling, joined the St. Lawrence faculty in Dick’s senior year and was named professor emeritus at St. Lawrence after a 36-year career as a chemistry professor at the University.

Starting in 2003, the Stradlings made significant gifts during the construction of Johnson Hall of Science. In recognition of their generous philanthropy, the University named the general and organic chemistry suite in their honor.

They also remain ardent Saints hockey fans and made another major gift in 2018 to fund improvements to Appleton Arena, naming the multimedia room in addition to ongoing support of both the men’s and women’s ice hockey programs. Gail Stradling is a 1964 graduate of SUNY Potsdam, where she and her husband have also made significant philanthropic gifts.