LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena College officially opened the Bob Guido '68 Athletic Academic Center with a dedication and ribbon cutting on May 2. The 2,200 square-foot state-of-the-art facility provides an enhanced environment where Siena's more than 350 student athletes can achieve their full potential.
 
"Charlotte and I are blessed, and we are honored to support this center which provides our student athletes with a first-class facility to assist them with their academic excellence," said Guido who, along with his wife Charlotte, provided the lead gift for the project. Guido is a former member of the Siena College Board of Trustees, and retired Vice-Chair of Ernst & Young, LLP, who played both baseball and football as an undergraduate at Siena. "While achieving success as a member of a team is important, achieving academic excellence and a Siena degree is invaluable in life."
 
The Bob Guido '68 Athletic Academic Center will play a major role in Siena Athletics' mission to "Build Better Saints." A critical component in developing the entire student athlete will be realized with the creation of this new facility, where the athletic department's S.A.IN.T.S. program – which stands for Supporting Athletes IN Their Success – can become more collaborative and engaging.
 
"Bob Guido has always championed creating opportunities for people, because people did that for him," said Siena College Vice President and Director of Athletics John D'Argenio. "Our student athletes are fortunate that he and his wife know that while a college athletic career can be rewarding, demanding, and help student athletes organize themselves, the most important outcome for them at Siena is to earn a degree, because it will stay with them for a lifetime."
 
Features of the Bob Guido '68 Athletic Academic Center include the nearly 1,000 square-foot Russ and Maureen Ferris Room, which provides an open study space to accommodate a place for all student athletes to study. The Ferris Room was officially dedicated on Apr. 30 in honor of the former Siena Men's Lacrosse Head Coach and 1996 Siena Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, along with his wife.
 
Additional highlights include three rooms dedicated to serving group project planning, individual tutoring, and small group sessions to create a vibrant and engaging environment for Siena's student athletes. The new space also features individual offices for S.A.IN.T.S. advisors to hold one-on-one sessions, while a separate entrance way was erected to allow for extended hours of operation for student athletes.
 
Siena Athletics is eternally grateful to Bob '68 and Charlotte Guido and all of the additional supporters who made this project possible by contributing towards furthering the department's mission to "Build Better Saints."