DAYTON, Ohio — How can a group of men take a vow of poverty, then turn
around and give $17.5 million to the University of Dayton?
That's the total value of the “Call to Lead” gift of the Cincinnati
Province of the Society of Mary (the Marianists) over the six years of the
University of Dayton's campaign. In fall 2000, they announced an initial
$10.5 million gift, the largest gift from an organization in UD's history.
They have continued to make cash gifts, and today they upped their total
commitment to $17.5 million, pushing UD's ambitious $150 million
fund-raising and image-building campaign over the top to $153 million, with
a little over two months to go in the effort.
“If the stock market hadn't dropped, the total gift would have been over
$20 million,” Brother Robert Metzger, S.M., treasurer for the province,
said half apologetically.
About a third of the gift comes from the salaries that the province
received for the services of the brothers and priests who work on campus.
The rest comes from an allocation the province makes to UD of the gifts
that it receives through its fund-raising efforts.
Marianists live a simple life together as equals. They draw their
inspiration from Mary, the mother of Jesus, and believe strongly in service
to youth and the poor. All but about $11,200 of their annual salaries go
back to the province, which began setting money aside and investing it when
UD's last campaign ended in 1987. At the University of Dayton, many live
on campus in Alumni Hall or share houses in the student neighborhoods.
They work in various capacities — from the president to a facilities
worker, from a new English professor to a retired religious studies
professor who's taught a popular marriage class taken by more than 20,000
alumni.
“Our needs are met through sharing our resources. We don't need a lot of
material things,” said Brother Joseph Kamis, S.M., provincial. “Our
concern is the Marianist mission and sharing our charism with others. We
work with the youth and the poor, so a lot of our extra funds go toward
educational purposes, such as schools and missions. People may not realize
this, but the University of Dayton is the largest ministry in the Marianist
world.”
The gift, the most sizable in UD's history, “shows our commitment to the
University of Dayton,” Kamis said. “It is the cradle of the Marianists in
the United States. It's where we got started, where St. Mary's Institute
grew into what's become a major Catholic university. We want to ensure its
legacy, demonstrate our commitment and show our belief in its future.”
The gift also raises the bar for other UD supporters, according to Kamis.
“This gift is a challenge to our benefactors.”
The $17.5 million will be used to fund scholarships and various other
initiatives that strengthen UD's Catholic and Marianist identity. The gift
includes partial funding for two endowed faculty positions in the College
of Arts and Sciences: $1 million to help establish the Father William J.
Ferree Professor of Social Justice and $500,000 to fully fund the Marianist
Chair of Faith and Culture position.
Ferree, Dayton native, former provincial of the Cincinnati Province of the
Society of Mary and an internationally known advocate for social justice,
died in 1985. Brother Raymond L. Fitz, S.M., who's stepping down as UD
president on June 30 after a record 23-year stint, will return to campus in
January as the first Ferree professor.
The gift also will help fund initiatives the Marianists have traditionally
supported, such as:
• $8 million for an endowment to support activities designed to
strengthen UD's Catholic and Marianist identity, such as the Forum for
Catholic Intellectual Tradition and other initiatives from the provost's
office;
• $3 million for scholarships, focused on attracting students from
Marianist high schools, based on academic achievement, leadership and
service:
• $2.3 million for an endowment and operating expenses for the rector's
office to expand Marianist charism at the University of Dayton;
• $1.4 million endowment for the operation of the International Marian
Research Institute, which, in affiliation with the Pontifical Theological
Faculty Marianum in Rome, offers advanced pontifical degrees with
specialization in Mariology; and
• $1.3 million for outreach to the Catholic Church through UD's
Institute for Pastoral Initiatives.
“The gift is certainly reflective of the Marianist mission at the
University of Dayton, and we're deeply appreciative of the province's
generosity,” said Thomas J. Danis, chair and chief executive officer of the
Danis Companies who co-chaired the campaign with William Bombeck.
During UD's last major fund-raising campaign in the 1980s, the Marianists
gave $5 million. The more than $20 million donated during the last two
campaigns doesn't adequately reflect the order's contribution to the school
they founded, sponsored and built into one of the largest, most-respected
Catholic universities in the nation. In 1850, a priest and three brothers
started St. Mary's School for Boys, which initially enrolled 14 students.
It eventually became the University of Dayton and grew into the state's
largest independent university. For most of UD's history, the Marianists
earned no salaries, only living expenses from the province. In 1952, the
Marianists transferred ownership of all the property to the University of
Dayton.
