Pompea, Bergami Gifts Make Hubbell Property Purchase Possible for UNH

The purchase was underwritten by gifts from two prominent UNH alumni and their wives. Charles Pompea ’71 B.S., ’90 EMBA, of Jupiter, Fla., and his wife, Tamera, and Samuel S. Bergami Jr. ’85 EMBA, of Milford, Conn., and his wife, Lois, made significant contributions to make the purchase possible.

"We are deeply grateful to the Pompeas and the Bergamis for their continuing support of the university’s transformation," said President Steven Kaplan. "Their generous contributions help make UNH’s vision a reality."

The graduate campus property is on 47 acres, located directly adjacent to the Wilbur Cross Parkway. It has three attached buildings totaling approximately 70,000 square feet that can easily be converted into classrooms, computer labs, and faculty offices. In addition, the site has both underground and surface parking.

Kaplan thanked the town of Orange and Hubbell for their help in completing the purchase. "Orange has been wonderful to work with, and we are really looking forward to being part of the community," he said. "Hubbell was very accommodating and helped us bring this tremendous resource to UNH."

"We are deeply grateful to the Pompeas and the Bergamis for their continuing support of the university’s transformation. Their generous contributions help make UNH’s vision a reality." said President Steven Kaplan.

The university plans to grow and enhance several of its graduate programs at the new branch campus, which will help alleviate space issues on the main campus in West Haven. The suburban campus, located along the Wilbur Cross Parkway, is easily accessible not only to the immediate area but also Hartford as well as Fairfield County. In addition, the graduate facilities may be used for hosting academic conferences and other events.

UNH hopes to begin holding classes at the site in the fall after initial renovations are completed over the summer.

A longtime UNH supporter, Pompea is a former vice chair of the UNH Board of Governors. He is the majority owner of the Springfield Falcons hockey team and the former president and chief executive officer of Primary Steel, Inc. in Middletown, Conn.

He has contributed to a number of projects, including the renovation of Maxcy Hall, the Lee Institute Building, the renovation of Bartels Hall and the high mileage vehicle program in the Tagliatela College of Engineering. The Charles E. Pompea Gymnasium in the David A. Beckerman Recreation Center and the Pompea Family Learning Center in the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science are named in his and his family’s honor.

UNH named Pompea a Distinguished Alumnus in 1999 and awarded him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in 2006.

Bergami is the president and chief executive officer of Alinabal Holdings Corp. and is a longtime member and former chair of the UNH Board of Governors. A significant donor, he funded the Samuel S. Bergami Jr. Learning Center for Finance and Technology in Maxcy Hall, the Bergami Family Fitness Center in the David A. Beckerman Recreation Center and the Bergami Family Lecture Hall in the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science. He also contributed funding to enable the university last year to purchase Bergami Hall, a residence hall and office complex.

In addition, the Bergamis have endowed several scholarships, and they fund summer salary stipends for students to work at unpaid internships during the summer. UNH named Bergami a Distinguished Alumnus in 2000 and awarded him an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree in 2002.