ORANGE : Chapman Receives $3.1-Million Gift

Chapman College on Monday announced a $3.1-million gift from the estate of Harriet Sue Salmon, a former member of Chapman’s board of trustees.

President Allen E. Koenig said the bequest will be applied to a scholarship fund that Salmon established in 1983. Salmon, one of the first women on the board, also had donated funds to build the school’s music building.

The announcement of the largest single gift ever received by the college came at a ground-breaking ceremony for Leadership Hall, a four-story, $4.5-million residence on Walnut Avenue between Center and Grand streets.

The hall, to be completed by May of next year, will be the sixth dormitory on campus and will house about 330 students. About 2,000 students attend the college, half of whom need on-campus housing, school officials said.

Students who live at the hall will be required to participate in a special program designed to foster leadership, spokeswoman Pamela Ezell said.

Requirements will include participation in community service, such as working with the homeless, and special discussions on topics such as conflict resolution and public-speaking skills.

“Several studies have shown that there is a relationship between self-esteem and leadership,” said Ann Bolger, director of residence life at the college. “This hall is designed to focus on leadership and public service.”