Campaign Begins to Have Impact on Students and Campus
Largest Gift in DePaul History Fuels Momentum
Giving to the Many Dreams, One Mission Campaign for DePaul University continued its historic pace this fall, with total gifts to the campaign surpassing $215.3 million as of Nov. 14 against the campaign’s $250 million overall goal.
A big surge occurred in October, when the university received the largest single gift in its 113-year history, a $10 million commitment from a College of Commerce alumnus and his wife who made the provision for the gift in their estate. The gift will support scholarships and a professorship in the College of Commerce. The donors wish to remain anonymous.
“This landmark gift is notable not just in its magnitude, but in the profound impact it will have on the College of Commerce and the students who come through its doors seeking opportunity and excellence,” says the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., president of DePaul. “This gift is going to change the lives of countless students and help DePaul meet our commitment to recruiting the very best faculty to teach them. We could not be more grateful to this generous couple for what they are doing for the many generations that follow them.”
Adding to this fall’s momentum, DePaul set a record in October for the number of new major gifts ($25,000 and above) received in a single month. University leaders also announced that during the 2011 fiscal year, the number of alumni donors had grown to 8,024. It marked the first time since 1998, DePaul’s centennial year, that the number of alumni donors exceeded 8,000. Midway through the campaign, the generosity of donors already is having a significant impact on securing DePaul’s mission of academic opportunity and excellence for future generations. More than 200 new endowed funds have been created since the beginning of the campaign; of those, 177 are dedicated to scholarships.
Generations of Excellence
The Many Dreams, One Mission Campaign is DePaul’s first comprehensive fundraising initiative in almost 30 years and the largest in its history, with a goal of raising $250 million by 2014. More than $100 million of that total will bolster the university’s resources for scholarships, helping to ensure that a college education is available to future generations of talented DePaul students.
Investments through the campaign focus on continuing to build academic excellence. Nearly $37 million from the campaign will be invested in faculty positions to continue to attract the nation’s top teachers, and more than $74 million will go directly to the creation and enhancement of academic programs. The campaign has provided more than $38 million toward new, state-of-the-art facilities for the School of Music and The Theatre School.
A major focus of the Many Dreams, One Mission Campaign is the world-renowned performing arts programs at the School of Music and The Theatre School. Donors to each of those schools discuss their involvement.
Gerhard and Kathleen Bette:
A Family Affair with the Arts
Gerhard and Kathleen Bette’s son, Josef, earned a B.F.A. in acting at The Theatre School in 2009. Last year, the family made a generous gift to name the Bette Family Green Room in the new Theatre School building, which broke ground in June 2011.
Josef suggested that the Bettes’ gift be designated for the green room. “When we asked him what the most important place for an actor would be, he said the green room,” says Kathleen. “That’s the place where an actor prepares just before going onstage.”
The Bettes have a cherished family tradition of supporting the arts. Kathleen is a trustee of the Music Institute of Chicago and is a member of The Theatre School board at DePaul. Gerhard is a trustee of Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art and serves on the board of Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Ill. Their daughter, Moira, is a violist working on her master’s degree at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.
“It is so important to our family to support the arts,” Kathleen says. “We are proud of The Theatre School at DePaul and honored to be a part of its exciting future in Chicago. This new building is a testament to the excellence of the school and to the university’s support for all its arts programs.”
Sasha Gerritson:
Giving Back to Make a Difference
Sasha Gerritson (MUS ’99) and her husband, Eugene Jarvis, have made a generous naming gift of a new opera hall at the School of Music.
“The new hall will give voice students an opportunity to rehearse daily in their performance space, something that singers almost never get a chance to do,” says Gerritson. “The state-of-the-art facilities will provide the necessary tools for students to compete in the professional arena, and the community at large will benefit from a hall dedicated specifically to opera, because it raises the level of cultural awareness.”
Gerritson graduated in 1999 with a post-master’s certificate in vocal performance. She continues to perform and has sung in many operas, including “La Bohème,” “La Traviata” and “The Marriage of Figaro.” She now serves as professor and opera director at Northeastern Illinois University and credits Harry Silverstein, director of DePaul Opera Theatre, for inspiring her and instilling the expertise and confidence that has led to her success.
“He really made the difference for me,” she says. “I can say that DePaul and Harry Silverstein changed my life. Because of that, as an alumna of DePaul, I feel it is my responsibility to give back. I encourage others to do the same.”
For more news and information on the Many Dreams, One Mission Campaign, and to view the newest campaign video in which alumni donors discuss their reasons for giving, please visit campaign.depaul.edu.