By Jill Yesko, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 10-11-07
Kaplan Commons will be located on the West Lawn of Elliott University Center.
GREENSBORO, NC – The west lawn of Elliott University Center will get an extreme makeover thanks to a generous gift by Randall Kaplan and Kathy Manning.
The project will create an informal commons area in front of Elliott University Center. The scope of the project will include extensive re-landscaping, new trees, flowering plants, ornamental shrubs and a new area irrigation system. Other features will include benches, walls and walkways.
Construction will start next year. Kaplan Commons will be dedicated to coincide with the 2008 Fall Fest that will take place on the renovated lawns.
“I feel that a campus and the aesthetics of a campus lay the foundation for how people feel about the community they are living in,” said Kaplan. “The public spaces of a university should be inviting for students to hang out together and for faculty and students to talk.”
“The generous gift from Randall Kaplan and Kathy Manning will improve the existing landscaping of the grassy lawn on the west side of Elliott University Center,” said Bruce J. Michaels, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. “It will add to the overall enhancement of green spaces on the campus for the university community to enjoy.”
Kaplan is the CEO of Capsule Group, LLC, a private investment company in Greensboro and is also the CEO and chairman of the board of Listingbook, LLC, an online real estate service. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of UNCG and is the immediate past chair of the UNCG Excellence Foundation. He also served on the Bryan School Advisory Board. Kaplan serves on the boards of the United Way of Greater Greensboro, the Greensboro Community Foundation and the Greensboro Partnership.
Kathy Manning is an immigration attorney with Manning and Associates, PLLC, in Greensboro. She is the chair of the United Jewish Communities Executive Committee, the first woman to serve in that capacity. She is the past president of the B’nai Shalom Synagogue Day School and serves on the boards of the Greensboro Symphony and Triad Stage. Manning is also a past president of the Greensboro Jewish Federation.
