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Saint Louis University has reached another milestone in its $500 million Accelerating Excellence fundraising campaign, an initiative that aims to propel SLU to further national prominence as a Jesuit research university.
The university announced that since the launch of the phase in late 2018, it has raised more than $400 million of the historic effort’s $500 million goal.
Funds raised will help SLU invest in five strategic priorities: scholarships, academic excellence, business education, health sciences and athletics. The campaign, which impacts all schools and colleges across the university, launched its public phase in November 2018.
Notable contributions include a $1 million gift from SLU graduate Robert Wheeler Sr., Ph.D., for advancing knowledge of basic human motivation through graduate psychology research, and a $25,000 contribution from Trudy Busch Valentine who graduated from SLU’s nursing program, to support SLU’s integration of telemedicine stations in underserved North St. Louis. The stations help increase access to health care and ensuring health care equity.
“To hit this milestone in the first comprehensive fundraising campaign in SLU’s history fills me with gratitude and optimism,” said University president, Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D. “Higher education is at an inflection point as it faces the existential threat brought on by the coronavirus. As we at SLU sacrifice and adapt to the challenges and uncertainties of the times, our benefactors continue to demonstrate their support of our students, faculty, physicians and programs.”
Vice president for development, Sheila Manion, said the response is an example of the care and resilience that makes up the SLU community.
“We are so grateful for the generosity displayed by our faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends,” Manion said. “Their selflessness and unity, in spite of adversity, embodies SLU’s Jesuit mission to be for and with others, and demonstrates what it means to be OneSLU.”
Both the COVID-19 giving initiative and the Accelerating Excellence campaign are ongoing. Gifts can be made to SLU’s COVID-19 relief efforts at giving.slu.edu/OneSLU. For more information or to support the Accelerating Excellence campaign, visit slu.edu/campaignforslu.
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