Calumet College of St. Joseph celebrates seventh floor ribbon-cutting
On June 4, Calumet College of St. Joseph (CCSJ) welcomed the community to the official ribbon-cutting and opening of the college’s seventh floor. Reverend Tim McFarland, C.PP.S., director of Theology, Mission and Ministry, began the event by providing a blessing over the space, guests in attendance, and all the students and community members that will be welcomed to the new campus space. Hammond, Indiana, 1st District Councilman and CCSJ alumnus Mark Kalwinski spoke of the dream that many students, staff, and past presidents had for the previously dormant seventh floor. He congratulated President Amy McCormack for turning those dreams into a reality though her leadership of the college. The City of Hammond’s Chief of Staff Scott Miller shared in congratulating President McCormack and the team at CCSJ for bringing new life to the seventh floor. He shared Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.’s excitement for the space and CCSJ’s focus using new spaces like the seventh floor to welcome the community onto campus, boosting the already strong connections that the college has with the local community.
Although the Schmidt Building underwent major renovations after Standard Oil donated the campus to the college in 1973, the seventh floor remained largely untouched and was only accessible by an emergency stairwell. Thanks to a $15M Lilly Endowment College and Community Collaboration Initiative awarded in 2024, as well as generous corporate and private donations, elevators are being retrofitted to reach our top floor. A $2M buildout has renovated the space with interior rooms, including an elevator lobby, the Schmetterling lobby, the Familia Migliorini Hospitality Hub, and the Heritage Room sponsored by BP. Externally, the seventh floor boasts its 3,700-square-foot Hasse-McCormack Terrace, offering sweeping views of the Chicago skyline, Lake Michigan, the Whiting-Robertsdale community, the BP Whiting Refinery, Lost Marsh Golf Course, The Pav, and George and Wolf Lakes.
The Schmetterling Lobby features a butterfly mural painted by current CCSJ students Victoria Arit Cervantes Gomez, Angela Cervantes, and Gabriela Tirado, celebrating the struggle and beauty of transformation through imagery.
A large mural by Felix “Flex” Maldonado dominates the east end of the Terrace. This spray-painted work is a modern interpretation of our patron, St. Joseph the Worker, incorporating Christian symbolism, elements of the college seal, and references to the region's industrial heritage.
The seventh floor has been designed to serve multiple purposes. It will tell the story of “The Work” of the region via passive and interactive storytelling elements throughout the space. Beyond the educational components that will occupy the space, the seventh floor has also been designed as a gathering place, fulfilling the Lilly Endowment’s aim to draw colleges and the communities they serve closer together. The seventh floor will serve as a lounge area for students and community members, will host community meetings, and will be available for private rental.
The seventh floor renovation project was made possible thanks to the following sponsors: Lilly Endowment, Inc., BP Whiting Refinery, Schmetterling Foundation, The Migliorini Family, The Hasse Family Foundation, The Jeff and Amy McCormack family, Nancy Wheeler, and Cleveland-Cliffs.