Donor Stories Archive 2018

July 2018

The Powerful Promise Campaign has provided an endowment to perpetually fund the new Norman and Ruth Carroll Endowed Chair in Business and Economics. The late Norm Carroll was an academic visionary, a long time provost of the university and the founding dean of the Brennan School of Business. Ruth Carroll, his wife of 52 years, is a retired Trinity High School Teacher and a revered member of the university community. Here, the couple’s son Mark, a university trustee, reflects on his lifelong Dominican experience and on the value of the new chair.

“I can’t think of a time when Dominican University wasn’t part of my life. My dad started as a young economics professor in 1963. We grew up two blocks away, and he had us on campus all the time, visiting his office, playing in the gym, learning from the sisters.

“Later, I began to fully appreciate what the place meant to him, and vice versa. He was such a blend of professor and entrepreneur. He loved teaching, but also was always thinking about where the institution would be 30 years down the road. It was his idea to start an MBA program that would emphasize international business. He knew the importance of the global economy, and understood how much students would grow from studying abroad. He built Dominican’s partnerships with universities worldwide. The students in Dominican’s international program are his legacy.

“Why international business, and why study abroad? I think my dad would agree that once you experience a culture in person, it’s hard not to like the people, and it becomes more difficult to think your way is the only way. The experience makes you truly open to learning. What could better express caritas et veritas … love and truth?

“My dad would be humbled and thrilled to learn about this chair. An endowed chair does more than just fund a faculty position; it declares the university’s permanent commitment to an academic discipline—in this case, international business. The Carroll Chair embodies my dad’s wishes for Dominican. It also serves as an example of how donors can express their values through what they choose to support at the university. We are all stewards of Dominican, and I feel privileged to be a trustee at this pivotal time.”

July 2018

“Back home in Alabama, my dad, a sharecropper, always told us seven children that education was the path to success. Now I see supporting scholarships as a personal obligation—except for my doctorate degree, my schooling and that of my children was paid for by scholarships or grants.

“My son, Christopher ’91, was sought by prestigious national universities, but he deeply loved Dominican—the sisters, the campus, his professors. When he died just a few years after law school, I learned why he loved the place.

“Dominican is helping so many bright students who don’t have the means for college. So, in Christopher’s memory, I started an endowed scholarship and a grant fund to help students pay tuition and meet incidental financial needs that could otherwise hold them back.

These students have shown their appreciation, and I am delighted to watch them move, well prepared, to graduate school and the working world.”

July 2018

“I saw funding scholarships at Dominican as a great way to pass on the invaluable life lessons I learned at Rosary College. I named one scholarship for my parents, who were great believers in the power of education and who made my education possible, and the other for my late sister, who was a strong advocate for Native American rights.

“Education and social justice are important to me, and it’s at Rosary College where that awareness really came alive. Those values were apparent in the living examples of the sisters, the lay faculty, and my classmates, and they set my life in a new direction.

“Now, after a law degree and a long career advocating for workers’ rights through unions, it’s very satisfying to circle back and take action to make sure ideals like these get handed on to new generations. With the scholarships I funded, I feel like I’m not only honoring my parents and sister, but also buying a little of the future."

July 2018

“Agreeing to co-chair the Powerful Promise faculty staff campaign was a no-brainer. Working on campus, I get to see where my contribution is going every day. I love our students. They’re so engaged and have such big hearts. They’re going to be great citizens and leaders of the world--- they just need a little help. They deserve it and, frankly, the university deserves it. We want to be the best Catholic university around.

“Alumnae/i give because they’re grateful; for those who work here, it’s about being part of a community. The sisters laid the foundation; today, we’re inheriting their legacy. Keeping that foundation strong is absolutely part of my job. And if that means giving a little money out of every paycheck, it warms my heart.”

July 2018

“We always loved the Grotto as a place for reflection. A few years ago we noticed that it needed some attention. We mentioned it, and Dominican heard us. The idea of restoring the Grotto took root on campus and we were delighted to contribute to the project. And we were so honored when they named part of the space “Sistie’s garden.” This Beautiful corner of the campus has been reborn as a spot where people find peace of soul and spiritual awakening.”

July 2018

“When I make my annual fund gift, I sometimes think about college memories, but I’m usually more focused on the future. So many great things are happening at Dominican right now! It’s clear that this institution knows where it wants to go, and has an upward trajectory that’s just incredible. My contribution is my vote of confidence in that future. I valued my time at the university, and I want others to have the experience I had—or better. For me giving is personal: I know that Dominican will do something great with my contribution.”

July 2018

“When I started my campus job in University Advancement as a freshman, I didn’t even know what a ‘Phonathon’ was. At first, spending three hours a day calling alumnae/i and asking them for contributions was pretty hard for a shy person like me. But it got easier, I’m only attending Dominican because of the scholarships and gifts that donors gave. That fact made it possible for me to talk about how important their donations are for so many students. Before I graduated in May, I chaired the campaign for the Senior Class gift, and we set a record for student participation and amount raised. These days, making the case for Dominican comes naturally to me. I don’t think my freshman self would even recognize me now!”

March 2018

Morganne Schmidt, a native of West Dundee, Illinois, reflects that she “had never been out of the country, never experienced a different culture, never even seen the ocean” before coming to Dominican. Today she can say she has broadened her horizons as part of her undergraduate experience—thanks to the generous bequest of Rosary College alumna Joan Cain ’51.

After graduating from Rosary, Ms. Cain made a career as a college professor in Louisiana. When she passed away in 2013, her bequest established a new initiative at Dominican—the Excellence in Experiential Learning (ExcEL) Scholar Award program. ExcEL enables Dominican students to incorporate hands-on experiences, beyond the classroom, into their Dominican education. For Morganne Schmidt, ExcEL funds enabled her to travel to Italy and study in Rome.

Ms. Cain’s bequest provides awards of up to $2,000 for students who wish to pursue an internship, community-based learning class, independent research, study abroad, or an entrepreneurial project.

“These experiences can be difficult for many students to afford because of the financial contingencies in their lives,” says Paul Simpson, executive director of Dominican’s Academic Enrichment Center. “Ms. Cain’s generous bequest allows us to make their hopes become real experiences.”

Morganne is now a senior, preparing to graduate with a double major in chemistry and food applications. During her time in Rome, however, she studied Baroque and Renaissance art and architecture.

“As a science major, I really wanted to go and learn about something completely outside of chemistry and food science,” she says. “Going to Rome allowed me to appreciate creativity and passion, and it inspired me to bring those qualities to my future career.”