Dear Loyola community,
We have persevered through many challenges together in recent years at Loyola University New Orleans. Now that we are ready to implement Project Magis, I am writing to remind you that even as we all were working hard on campus to renew the university, Loyola alumni and other donors have been consistently supporting your work with record levels of philanthropy. They continue to believe in us. They have our backs.
In August 2011, when Loyola University New Orleans started the leadership phase of the Faith in the Future campaign, there were some things we knew well and some things we did not know at all.
We knew that for more than a century, the students, faculty, staff, and leadership of Loyola New Orleans had been changing New Orleans, the Gulf Coast, and the rest of the world for the better. We knew too that Faith in the Future’s priorities were worthy:
- New scholarship funds
- New and renewed facilities including Monroe Hall, the J. Michael Early Studio, the University Sports Complex, the Tom Benson Jesuit Center, and more
- New endowments for departments and faculty positions and an ambitious goal for the Loyola Fund
We knew that with our end goal set at $100 million, this was the most ambitious campaign in Loyola’s history. We knew that the Board of Trustees and the Alumni Association Board were deeply committed to the campaign. We knew that Loyola’s leadership and advancement staff were ready to work hard. We knew that you and many other donors, alumni, and friends cared deeply about the university. We knew we had the power of the Jesuit tradition of education, almost 500 years strong.
But there were things we didn’t know: How could we more than double the impact of Loyola’s previous successful campaign, Thresholds, which had ended in 1999? Would donors feel the power of these opportunities and find the resources to support them? Would campaign volunteers step up and connect us with new friends for Loyola’s mission?
As we now enter the final phase of the campaign, following six record-setting years and well over $67 million in gifts, I hope you share my excitement for the year ahead. Through Project Magis, we are ensuring that our university is worthy of even greater investment from our donors.
More than 200 volunteers on our campaign and visiting committees are working hard for you, for all of us, to push us on to success. Their work and the generosity of many have resulted in many new things at Loyola, including 42 new endowed scholarships, 20 new endowed professorships and chairs, 19 new academic program endowments, and — making its debut in just a few weeks — a new court for our Wolf Pack volleyball and basketball players.
It’s a great year to be at Loyola. I look forward to working with you to exceed our $100 million goal in the Faith in the Future campaign.
With gratitude,
Chris Wiseman ’88, Ph.D.
Vice President of Institutional Advancement