DPU trustees accept $15 million in gifts, endorse renovations

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Plans to renovate Asbury Hall and Roy O. West Library and more than $15 million in gifts to The Campaign for DePauw were accepted by the DePauw University Board of Trustees at its recent spring meeting.

Among those donations acknowledged by the board is a $1 million gift from Lee (Class of 1964) and Marilyn Tenzer in support of the university's efforts to assist the Greencastle community's development efforts, DePauw President Brian W. Casey has announced.

Meanwhile, James "Jim" G. Stewart, a 1964 DPU graduate and former executive vice president and chief financial officer of Cigna, has made a $5 million commitment to The Campaign for DePauw. In recognition of his generosity, the plaza to be constructed between Hoover Hall and the Memorial Student Union Building will be named in his honor.

Other gifts accepted at the trustees' meeting include an additional $5 million from R. David and Suzanne Hoover (both 1967 graduates), a $2 million gift made anonymously to be designated later, an additional $300,000 gift from John and Sarah R. Wallace (both 1976 grads), and an additional $250,000 gift from James B. Stewart '73.

In total, gifts to The Campaign for DePauw, which formally launched in October 2014, now total more than $223 million, nearly 74 percent of the campaign's current goal of $300 million.

Commitments included in the campaign total include gifts from more than 10,000 alumni, parents and friends of the university. Campaign goals emphasize the university's academic life, student engagement and post-graduate preparation, financial aid and student access and improvements to the campus.

In addition to accepting these new gifts, the trustees also called on the administration to pursue renovations of Asbury Hall and Roy O. West Library as outlined in the Campus Master Plan, some of which will begin as early as this summer.

"These gifts are the latest evidence that our alumni believe in the goals of this campaign, and believe in what a DePauw education can do for the lives of students," President Casey said. "The task before us is nothing short of creating a transformational experience that grounds students in the core of the liberal arts, but also prepares them for a career of their choosing, equipping them for lives of purpose and meaning. It is because of the generosity of DePauw alumni, and the leadership demonstrated by our Board of Trustees that we continue to march in service of this goal."

"This campaign is essential to the future of DePauw, and we consider it a privilege to have an opportunity offer our support," added Jim G. Stewart. "The nation's strongest colleges and universities have the resources to invest in the student experience, provide transformational opportunities, and ensure that students continue to have access to this incredible form of education. I am forever indebted to DePauw for the experiences I had during my time as a student, and this campaign is about ensuring that those transformational experiences live on in perpetuity."

Stewart graduated Phi Beta Kappa from DePauw and received his master's degree from the University of Michigan. As Cigna's CFO, he was responsible for the corporation's accounting, financial reporting, tax, treasury, operational planning and the mergers and acquisitions, corporate actuarial and audit functions.

In addition to serving on the DPU Board of Trustees, Stewart is on the board of the Franklin Institute, a science museum. He lives in Bryn Mawr, Pa., with his wife, Andrea.

Gifts from Dave and Suzanne Hoover, John and Sarah Wallace and Jim B. Stewart, represent additional commitments in support of Hoover Dining Hall and the Wallace-Stewart Faculty Commons, which is currently under construction and scheduled for completion in late 2016.

Additional gifts accepted during the course of the spring trustees' meeting included:

-- Bruce and Phyllis Nicholas (Class of 1955), a $1 million gift in trust to supplement the Phyllis W. Nicholas Endowed Directorship at the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics.

-- Hank and Louise Ford (both Class of 1952) Leander, a gift of $500,000 to support School of Music programming and endowment.

-- Dr. David E. Kranbuehl and Sarah Roberts Houghland (both Class of 1965), a gift and commitment of $250,000 to establish the Kranbuehl, Roberts, Hillger Endowed Fund for faculty summer research grants.

-- Robert C. (Class of 1960) and Patricia Harms (Class of 1957) Canfield, a gift of more than $100,000 to supplement the John J. and Elizabeth Bowden Baughman (Class of 1948) Faculty Fellowship, a fund they initiated.

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