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CAM PA I G N U P D AT E Plans for New Chapel Announced
BEVERLY BARRETT
In April, St. Edward’s announced the selection of Tucson-based architect Rick Joy to head the design of a new $5 million campus chapel, which will house a 400-person sanctuary and offices for the Holy Cross Institute and Campus Ministry. Joy is winner of the 2004 National Design Award in Architecture from the Smithsonian Institution’s national design museum. He was chosen after a yearlong selection process that had been narrowed down to three national firms. The university has already raised one-quarter of the funds for the chapel, including a $1 million lead gift from Charles Kolodzey, ’36, a $50,000 gift from Jim Albright, ’55, a $30,000 gift from Paul Farrell, ’55, and a $50,000 planning grant from the Scanlan Foundation of Houston. Renderings for the new chapel are expected in late fall.
John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center Update Construction began in January on the 65,000-square-foot John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center, which will house classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices for biology, chemistry and general science education. The university completed fundraising for the $20 million facility in December — with alumni and friends contributing an additional $730,000 over the goal. This support allowed the university to move swiftly into fundraising for phase two of the science facilities, which will house the Computer Science, Mathematics and Physics programs. To date, $23.7 million has been raised for both phases. To take a virtual tour and see progress on construction, click “Giving” at www.stedwards.edu.
Faculty and Staff Break Giving Record Faculty and staff members at St. Edward’s broke their own fundraising record this spring with 87 percent contributing more than $100,000 to The St. Edward’s Fund. This percentage is more than three times the amount given by faculty and staff at universities that St. Edward’s benchmarks itself against for fundraising. This year’s faculty-staff participation rate also represents a 40 percent increase from the 1999 giving rate.
Calling All Alumni Attention alumni: You have the opportunity to increase the university’s national visibility by supporting The St. Edward’s Fund. Gifts of any size made before June 30, the end of the university’s fiscal year, will count toward the alumni participation rate that organizations like U.S. News & World Report use to calculate university rankings. Alumni giving also factors into the decisions of foundations that are considering making major grants to the university. If 700 undergraduate alumni contribute before June 30, the university will meet its 15 percent participation goal — and students, faculty and staff will directly benefit. In fact, annual gifts have helped fund projects including Presidential Excellence grants for faculty, scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $8,000, and 10 campus wireless zones. While consistent giving is crucial, so are leadership gifts of $1,000 or more. Those who support the university at this level become St. Edward’s Associates and help ensure The St. Edward’s Fund continues to provide such tangible benefits for students, faculty and staff. For more information on A Special Destiny: The Campaign for St. Edward’s University, click “Giving” at www.stedwards.edu or contact Vice President of University Advancement Michael Larkin at 512-448-8452 or michaell@admin.stedwards.edu.
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From left: President George E. Martin, Dean Ramsey Fowler and Luci Baines Johnson, ’97, celebrate New College’s 30th anniversary.
NEW COLLEGE TURNS 30 More than 200 students, alumni and faculty members gathered in April to celebrate the 30th anniversary of New College, the university’s undergraduate program for adult students. When it began in Fall 1974 with seven students, New College was the first program of its kind in Texas and among the first in the nation. Today, it boasts more than 3,100 alumni and 1,000 students. The celebration began with a roaming reception from Main Building to Holy Cross Hall to Trustee Hall to the newly opened Jones Courtyard. Then, attendees enjoyed dinner in the Robert and Pearle Ragsdale Center with keynote speaker Luci Baines Johnson, who graduated from New College with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies in Communication in 1997. New College alumni Toby Futrell, ’88; Cheryl King Fries, ’92; Michael McDonald, ’95, MSOLE ’03; and Leslie Matula, ’98, received special recognition for their commitment to lifelong learning. In addition, Professor of English Tim Green, Associate Professor of Sociology John Houghton, Professor of American Studies Paula Marks, Professor of Management Lewis Myers, Professor of Anthropology Joe O’Neal, Associate Professor of History Pat Perry, Professor of History Joanne Sánchez (see story, page 17) and Professor of Philosophy Danney Ursery — who have each taught in New College for at least 15 years — were recognized. CC West Printing, the Lower Colorado River Authority, Premiere Tents and Events, and Spicewood Vineyards sponsored the event.