Alfred University renames residence hall in honor of Greg Connors ’92, outgoing Board chair

ALFRED, NY – Alfred University on Friday afternoon held a ceremony to rename Openhym residence hall in honor of Greg Connors ’92, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees. Openhym, the largest residential facility on campus, will henceforth be called Connors Hall.

A plaque will be installed in the residence hall honoring the Connors Family Foundation. The plaque, and a “Connors Hall” sign outside the four-story building on the south end of campus, were unveiled during Friday’s ceremony.

Connors, a Hornell, NY, native, has been a member of the Board of Trustees at Alfred University since 2008 and has served since 2017 as Board chair; his tenure as Chair ends on June 30. At Friday’s ceremony, he spoke about the role his parents—mother Toni Connors and late father William Connors—played in his decision to serve on the Board.

“My mom and dad were very involved in their community. One day at lunch (with Greg and former wife Jeni Wetzel Connors ’94), my dad said he wanted us to choose two causes to support. We chose Alfred University and the National Kidney Foundation,” Connors recalled. “Being an Alfred University trustee has been one of the most truly remarkable experiences in my life.”

The original Openhym residence hall, named for Evelyn Tennyson Openhym ’24, a former University trustee and generous benefactor to her alma mater, was completed in 1969. The building, on the south end of campus, was constructed—at a cost of about $1 million—to address a shortage in women’s housing. Renovations to Openhym, supported by philanthropy from Connors and fellow trustee and Alfred University alumnus Marlin Miller ’54, HD ’89, ’19, began in the summer of 2020, with students moving into the residence hall during the Fall 2020 semester.

“For those of us who have had the pleasure of working with Greg, he believes in making a difference,” Mark Zupan, Alfred University president said. “He saw with Marlin Miller a need to upgrade our residence halls. This (Connors Hall) has become our showpiece. It shows what residence life can be at Alfred University.”

Connors Hall houses a full kitchen and dining area, maker space, a gaming room, study spaces, a small lounge and meeting areas, bathroom facilities, and the resident director apartment and office on the ground floor; the top three floors have 156 student rooms. Connors credited Miller with identifying the need to improve residential facilities on campus. “He expressed an interest in renovating Openhym. He felt it was an important thing to do for the University,” Greg said, adding he was “floored” when Miller suggested Openhym be renamed in Connors’ honor.

Connors’ philanthropy has also helped fund renovations to Tefft residence hall. He has also supported projects to improve Alfred University’s athletics facilities, including construction of the Connors Family Pavilion, a gathering place overlooking Yunevich Stadium, and the installation of a new scoreboard named in honor of Bob ’66 and Pat Codispoti.

After Friday’s renaming ceremony, Zupan presented Connors with a Fiat Lux! Award. The award was established by Zupan in 2016 to honor those who bring distinction to Alfred University. Zupan recalled how Connors helped him navigate the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two-plus years, which Zupan described as “the most difficult time the University has ever gone through.”

Connors earned a bachelor’s degree in political science (minor in business) from Alfred University in 1992 and went on to earn his law degree from Ohio Northern University in 1995. He is founder and partner in the law firm Connors & Ferris LLP, which specializes in workers’ compensation.

In photo above, Greg Connors ’92 (second from left) is joined by mother Toni Connors (left), Jeni Wetzel Connors ’94 (second from right), and son Will Connors (right) at Friday’s ceremony renaming Openhym residence hall Connors Hall.