including 1,958 in the Loyalty Society,
273 in the 1887 Society, and more than 150 in the St. Thomas Aquinas Society
raised in FY2022
for the areas of greatest need,
giving program leaders the financial freedom to strategically advance the University's mission
Dear Catholic University Community,
I want to thank you for your continued dedication and support as we embark on the final year of Light the Way: The Campaign for Catholic University. During the last fiscal year, the University experienced many new and exciting changes, from the conclusion of a presidency to improvements in our physical campus and growth, in both size and diversity, of our student body.
Over the course of this past fiscal year, we surpassed our initial $400 million Campaign goal six months early, and then set a larger one — $500 million — extending the Campaign by a year in order to achieve the new target and to be sure donor investments through Light the Way support all of the priorities we had envisioned.
Our donor community has been crucial to our success in reaching this goal. Because of you, we have been able to transform campus and make a Catholic University education possible for more students than ever before. It truly takes a community to make this type of transformational impact.
On behalf of our entire community, especially the students and faculty who are the grateful recipients of your benefaction, I thank you for your commitment and support.
Sincerely,
Scott Rembold
Vice President for University Advancement
“Sometimes people think they have to do big things in order to make change. But if each one would light a candle, we’d have a tremendous light.”
— Sister Thea Bowman, M.A. 1969, Ph.D. 1972, FSPA
have been awarded to schools
for surpassing their total monetary goals for the Campaign: Columbus School of Law, Conway School of Nursing, Metropolitan School of Professional Studies, National Catholic School of Social Service, and School of Arts and Sciences.
from $400 million to $500 million
to increase funding for the financial, physical, and mental wellbeing of students; the research opportunities available to faculty; and the number of available endowed chairs and academic programs across the University. Learn more.
“The additional year will enable more of our constituents to get involved and invest in Light the Way. We wanted to provide the opportunity for more donors to experience the heartfelt pride that comes from helping to transform the University through this first truly comprehensive campaign.”
— Scott Rembold, vice president for University Advancement
$3,254,563 total to annual funds
providing unrestricted support
to the University, its 12 schools, and its many programs
$1,348,569 for The Fund for Catholic University
filling the operational gap between revenue and the costs of running a University
$1,905,994 for school- and program-based annual funds,
including academics, student affairs, athletics, and the arts
The 1887 Society contributed nearly half of the University's unrestricted support
The 273 individuals in the 1887 Society are not only annual giving leaders, but also leaders across the University. They contributed more than $1.5 million of the unrestricted funding received in the past year, setting a bold example for others and truly lighting the way.
Meet some of the individuals in the 1887 Society:
“I’m excited to be able to give something back now at this point in my life, and I look forward to continuing my relationship with the University for years to come.”
— John Cahill, B.A. 1989, leadership annual donor in the 1887 Society
Challenge: Accepted!
On giving days and during giving challenges, the University's community of supporters contributed significantly to the University's annual funds.
Academic environment
An inspiring statue installed in a new plaza
On April 22, 2022, the University held an interfaith dedication ceremony on campus for Welcome Plaza, the newly constructed home of the bronze sculpture Angels Unawares. The 3.5-ton, 20-foot-long statue, a gift to the University, recently completed a national tour to share its message of welcome and hope with thousands of people across the country.
ITHC funds a new nursing simulation center
Over the course of five years, the Institute for Technology in Health Care (ITHC) will give $5 million to the Conway School of Nursing to establish the state-of-the-art Cesar A. Caceres Simulation Center in the new nursing and sciences building that is currently under construction. This new center will help Conway School faculty prepare students for some of the many scenarios they will face during their nursing careers.
“[This gift] will allow us to construct not just a cutting-edge simulation center, but one that is visionary and will serve to educate nurses and other healthcare providers for many years to come.”
— Patricia McMullen, dean emerita of the Conway School of Nursing
Faculty excellence
This year, the University celebrated new gifts made in support of faculty research, including those by Trustee Frank Hanna for $1.5 million to support the Institute for the Transformation of Catholic Education and another $3 million gift from Ascension to fund the Adult-Gerontological Nurse Practioner Program. The Columbus School of Law received a $4.25 million gift directed by another Trustee, Leonard Leo, that established the Project for Constitutional Originalism and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Faculty were also awarded major grants, including Architecture's Julio Bermudez receiving a combined total of $500,000 from the Templeton Religion Trust, the Ciocca Center for Principled Entrepreneurship in the Busch School receiving $600,000 from the John Templeton Foundation, and Mathematics's Kiran Bhutani and Anita Shagnea and Education's Kathryn Bojczyk receiving $300,000 from the National Science Foundation.
Student success
The Diamond Project and scholarships
With support from the Jones family — Christian, B.A. 2020, Trustee Juan, and Lisa — the first phase of the Diamond Project kicked off, which will light the baseball and softball stadiums. The University also received generous gifts in support of scholarships, including support from 1887 Society Chairs Jim and Eileen Rullo and Mary Kohlmeier, a member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Society who served as the executrix of the estate of Dr. Joe Clark, M.S. 1967, Ph.D. 1969. Learn more.
The first endowed athletics assistant coach
In December 2021, the University celebrated the installation of its first endowed athletics assistant coach: Bridget Power, B.A. 2017, M.A. 2020, the inaugural Jamie L. Roberts Endowed Assistant Coach for women’s basketball. The endowed position in her name was created thanks to a generous $1 million gift from the Roberts family. Power, who was coached by Roberts during her time as a Cardinal, was a member of the Catholic University women’s basketball program between 2013 and 2017.
Enriching the University's student body with scholarships
$20,000 anonymously donated
to the Thaddeus F. Aubry Jr. and Leon A. LeBuffe Scholarship Fund
during the Founders Day Giving Challenge, the single largest gift ever made to the Aubry-LeBuffe Scholarship
$15.6 million in scholarships
awarded to more than 600 students
across the entire University
The Class of 2022 Impact Scholarship
funded through generous donations to the senior class gift,
which will provide an additional $5,000 in financial support every year to its beneficiary in the incoming first-year class
“Catholic University has provided me with more than an academic education. It has given me the tools and the freedom to form the whole of who I am.”
— Anthony Grieco, Class of 2022, scholarship recipient
Alumnus memorialized his CatholicU sweetheart with an endowed scholarship
Dr. Themistocles “Tim” D'Silva, Ph.D. Chemistry 1964, made a gift to Catholic University in memory of his late wife, Dr. Rose Marie D'Silva, also Ph.D. Chemistry 1964, who passed away in June of 2019. The Rose Marie D’Silva Endowed Scholarship will benefit undergraduate students attending the University. Tim said he was honoring his late wife's career in teaching.
Meet four of the more than 600 scholarship recipients
Select an image to learn more about the student. All portraits by E. Brady Robinson.
New University president appointed
The Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America appointed Peter K. Kilpatrick, Ph.D., as the 16th president of the University. He took office on July 1, 2022. Kilpatrick succeeded John Garvey, who served as president for 12 years.
Kilpatrick is a scholar — he is widely published and holds or shares 12 patents in chemical engineering — and an experienced higher education leader and administrator. Since 2018, he has been provost and vice president for academic affairs for the Illinois Institute of Technology, an institution dedicated to lifting up people of all backgrounds.
“Serving as president of The Catholic University of America is a dream job for me, bringing together faith and reason in service to the human person and human dignity. I look forward to working with the faculty and community to continue moving Catholic University forward as a top tier research institution that also embraces its excellence in theology and the arts.”
— President Peter Kilpatrick
More new physical spaces take shape
In addition to Welcome Plaza, the University has made significant progress on other new capital projects that are improving the physical layout of the campus:
47 events
hosted by University Advancement to unite all Cardinals,
including alumni, students, donors, parents, faculty, staff, and friends
6,067 event attendees
joined University Advancement for in-person and online events,
demonstrating the enduring strength of the University on the lives of thousands of Cardinals
Recognizing the University's most generous donors
Our first in-person Gratus celebration
On March 21, 2022, we held the first in-person Gratus celebration honoring the University’s friends and benefactors, with close to 300 attendees. During the evening, we recognized transformative gifts to the schools of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and Architecture; the Columbus School of Law and the Conway School of Nursing; and the Department of Athletics.
Our second annual 1887 Society Weekend
From June 3-5, 2022, we hosted the second annual 1887 Society Weekend so that Catholic University could thank its leadership-level benefactors. Over the course of three days, 202 members of the University community gained special access to cultural sites and thought leaders throughout Washington, D.C.
Gathering in person after a long wait
Cardinal Weekend 2021 and the Class of 2020 Graduation
From October 15-17, 2021, we welcomed our alumni family back to campus for our first in-person Cardinal Weekend since 2019. During the weekend, we hosted reunion celebrations for 20 classes, twice as many as is typical for Cardinal Weekend!
The University opened Cardinal Weekend 2021 with a long-delayed in-person graduation ceremony for the Class of 2020. When the ceremony ended, we celebrated these incredible young alumni on the University Mall.
Get ready: Cardinal Weekend 2022 is scheduled for October 21–23, 2022!
“Now more than ever, the world needs heroes. And here you are, Class of 2020. You are already heroes to me. [...] You have returned today and you rise this afternoon.”
— Kevin Ryan, B.A. 1989, graduation speaker, recipient of an honorary doctorate, and president and CEO of Covenant House International
Class of 2020 Athletics Hall of Fame
On April 2, 2022, a standing-room-only crowd gathered in Maloney Hall's Della Ratta Auditorium to honor eight inductees to the Athletics Hall of Fame. Watch inspiring short videos to learn more about the inductees:
Networking online for community and career advancement
In addition to hosting CUOnline events that focus on career development, we partnered with the Center for Academic and Career Success to upgrade the University's online career networking site. Cardinal Connnect helps students and alumni make connections, advance careers, and fill open employment positions with the most qualified applicants.
Already, Cardinal Connect unites alumni and students across 32 states and seven countries, and we're just getting started!
Each year, thousands of people support Catholic University with outright and planned gifts. We've added new, innovative methods to contribute to the continued success of the University:
Published on: Tuesday, August 2, 2022
Tags: Report to Donors
