Donor Dispute Overshadows Landmark Performing Arts Center at Holy Cross

A bitter financial dispute has erupted between the College of the Holy Cross and a wealthy alumnus who donated millions to fund the construction of the school's new 0 million performing arts center. Cornelius B. Prior Jr., a 1956 Holy Cross graduate, pledged million for the project but is now suing the college in an attempt to recover million of his contributed funds, alleging a lack of transparency in how his donations were spent.

Transformative Gift Marred by Acrimonious Fallout

Ambitious Vision for a Creative Incubator

When the Prior Performing Arts Center opened its doors in 2022, it was hailed as a transformative addition to the College of the Holy Cross campus, an "incubator" for creativity and a bastion of interdisciplinary learning. The 0 million facility, funded in part by Prior's generous pledge, was envisioned as a state-of-the-art hub for the performing arts, enriching the educational experience for students and the broader community.

Donor Disputes Accounting of Funds

However, behind the scenes, a bitter financial dispute was brewing between the college and its wealthy alumnus donor. Prior, the founder of the Beverly-based telecommunications company ATN International, is now suing Holy Cross in federal court, alleging that the institution has "refused repeated requests" to provide a full accounting of how his donated funds were invested and utilized.

Conditional Donations and Unfulfilled Pledges

According to the lawsuit, Prior began making a series of conditional donations to Holy Cross in 2012, with the understanding that the college would prioritize the construction of the performing arts center "without delay." He claims that the college instead delayed the center's development while also pressuring him to donate more than million to a new athletic complex he did not favor.

Withholding Final Payment and Canceled Dedication

The performing arts center has now been open for two years, but Prior has refused to make the final million payment of his million pledge. He alleges that this decision was driven by lingering questions about how his donations have been spent and whether they were held in a separate account or commingled with other funds. In response, Prior claims that Holy Cross "spitefully" and "punitively" canceled an opening concert at the performing arts center, for which he had commissioned an original musical composition and invited several sitting U.S. Supreme Court justices.

Conflicting Accounts and Calls for Mediation

Holy Cross, on the other hand, argues that Prior was the one who broke his promise. The college says that Prior's final installment was due after it received a certificate of occupancy for the new arts center, and that it made several attempts to remind him of the outstanding payment, which he allegedly rejected. Holy Cross has now requested that the court compel mediation and arbitration, as stipulated in the 2014 agreement with Prior, in an effort to resolve the dispute.

Lasting Impact and Uncertain Future

Despite the ongoing legal battle, the Prior Performing Arts Center continues to serve as a "catalyst for creativity and learning" on the Holy Cross campus and beyond. However, the "multi-million dollar burden left by Mr. Prior's failure to abide by the express terms of a written pledge agreement" casts a shadow over the institution's ability to fully realize the transformative potential of this landmark facility.