Members of the Catholic University family gathered on March 18th to honor donors who made a grand vision possible—the renovation of Maloney Hall, the new home of The Busch School of Business.
Nearly 175 attended the event and toured the newly renovated, 101-year-old building. Speakers included two former deans of The Busch School, Provost Andrew Abela and William Bowman, as well as Joe Carlini, B.M.E. 1984, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.
It was a particularly moving night for Abela, first dean of the school when it was founded in 2013, who called the sleek new space a physical manifestation of everything Catholic University represents, “all that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful, we celebrate and uphold here, and pass on the next generation.”
In total, more than $20 million in philanthropic gifts were made toward the project.
The generous lead donors — many of whom serve on the school’s Board of Visitors (BOV) — included Steve and Maryanne Means; Denis, B.S. 1990, and Kathleen McFarlane; Chris, B.A. 1986, and Meg Veno; Greg Patrick, Elias Patrick, M.S. 2016, and Marla Cheppa; Pete, B.A. 1988, and Ellen Forlenza, B.A. 1988; Larry and Lynn Blanford; Joe Della Ratta, B.A. 1953, and family; and Tim and Steph Busch.
Carlini recognized the many donors present who helped make the building’s transformation possible.
“It’s amazing to me that, within six years of the school’s founding, we secured more than $20 million in commitments to renovate this building,” he said. “And now we’re here tonight, celebrating the opening of Maloney Hall as the school’s home. This is the first of what we hope will be many transformations of our academic spaces.”
University President John Garvey also spoke about the importance of the project to the University and how committed the donors were to the building’s renovation.
“They shared our vision,” Garvey said. “A vision of leading Catholic businessmen and women partnering with alumni to make this project — a business school that connects faith and finance — a reality.”
Abela introduced the first of two videos shown during the evening. It explained the renovation of Maloney Hall into a modern business school. The other, introduced by Carlini, showcased the University’s vision for the future and how philanthropy made all the difference in the renovation of Maloney Hall.
Taryn Watford, a senior finance major in The Busch School, also narrated a light-hearted slideshow featuring student reactions to the building.