�It began with an idea that Carol Blazina gave me about five years ago when she said that we were going to need a new residence hall,� said Dr. Donovan. Phone calls were put out to begin funded the project for a new 200 bed residence hall, and when it reached Robin Ross Higgins, she contributed $1.5 million to the school; the largest amount donated by a SUNY Oneonta alumni.
With the new addition to the Oneonta campus, students have more variety of choosing where to live, with Higgins Hall being the only apartment-style building. Kitchenettes, private bathrooms, living and dining rooms, more single bedrooms, an exercise and recreation room on the ground floor, and a sprinkler system are among the many features the building has to offer. Like all residence halls on campus, Higgins Hall is a dry building, and continues to enforce the college�s zero tolerance policy towards alcohol and other illegal substances. �I am very pleased with the outcome of four years of work. We appreciate Robin�s generosity; the fact that she is here, it means a lot,� said Steve Logan. �It was a total collaborative effort from various agencies which resulted in a quality residence hall.�
Dr. Lt. Col. Higgins graduated from Oneonta State with the class of 1972. She spoke of her experience as an undergrad, �I did some things I�d be very proud to talk about to anyone, and some things I wouldn�t want talk to anyone about. I went on to a life that had absolutely nothing to do with the life I thought I�d be living.� After graduating with an English degree and teaching high school for one year, the native Long Islander decided to kicked-off what would be a 20+ year military career with the Marine Corps. At a time when women officers were only beginning to be seen as equals in a male dominant world, she still had to struggle to receive the respect and responsibility, only making her a stronger person for it. While in the Marines, she met her husband to be William Richard Higgins in 1976. At the time, he was a Captain and she was a second lieutenant fresh from military police training; they were married on her birthday December 23, 1977.
It would be eleven years when Lt. Col. Robin Higgins would hear the fateful news of her husband. Colonel Rich Higgins was stationed in Lebanon as a member of the United Nations peacekeeping force when he was captured and murdered by terrorists. Her husband would be forever preserved in Robin Higgins� book, Patriot Dreams�the Murder of Colonel Rich Higgins.
