Anonymous Donor makes $4.45 Million Gift Commitment to John Carroll

Announcement of planned bequest will support scholarships
for deserving students.

An anonymous donor is bequeathing $4.45 million to John Carroll University to help deserving students in need of financial assistance pursue their dream of a college education. This is the largest anonymous gift commitment by an individual in the University’s 124 year history.

“This is an extraordinary gift that will make a John Carroll University education accessible to outstanding young men and women who seek a promising future,” said Robert L. Niehoff, S.J., president of John Carroll University. “We are profoundly grateful for this generosity that will create a permanent scholarship legacy and fulfill the dream of a college education for many deserving students.”

University officials are respecting the donor’s request that her name not be announced. Fr. Niehoff says, “even as we respect the donor’s desire for anonymity, we are honoring her wish to share her story. It is especially inspiring to know that the value of a Jesuit Catholic education resonated with her life’s work and inspired her to make it possible for generations of other students to enjoy one of the finest educational experiences in the world. I know that this donor hopes her gift will inspire others, especially JCU graduates, to support the University by giving back.”

David Short, a 1981 John Carroll graduate and chair of the University’s Board of Directors, added, “Scholarship support is extremely important to us in order to advance the University’s goal of maintaining affordability. Scholarships enable more students to have access to our outstanding faculty, who play a key role in our students’ success. Our successful students, in turn, underscore the University’s exceptional four-year graduation rate. Because this new gift is a bequest, it will eventually become part of the University’s endowment to help deserving students fulfill their dreams of obtaining a college education.”