Trustees Accept $15 Million in Campaign Gifts, Endorse Improvements to Asbury Hall & Roy O. West Library

May 11, 2015

President Brian W. Casey announced today that the University’s Board of Trustees, at its meeting on Friday, formally accepted more than $15 million in gifts to The Campaign for DePauw, and endorsed plans to renovate Asbury Hall and Roy O. West Library.

James “Jim” G. Stewart ’64, 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 this week’s Board of Trustees meeting include an additional $5 million gift from R. David and Suzanne Hoover (both ’67), a $2 million gift made anonymously to be designated later, an additional $300,000 gift from John and Sarah R. Wallace (both ’76), and an additional $250,000 gift from James B. Stewart ‘73.  The Board also acknowledged a $1 million gift from Lee ’64 and Marilyn Tenzer that will support the University’s efforts to support the Greencastle community’s development efforts.

In total, gifts to The Campaign for DePauw, which formally launched in October of 2014,now total more than $223 million, nearly 74% 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 University’s Campus Master Plan, some of which will begin as early as this summer. (below: a vintage postcard depicting Asbury Hall, which was dedicated in 1930)

“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,” stated Dr. Casey. “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, Stewart 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 DePauw’s Board of Trustees, he is on the board of the Franklin Institute, a science museum.  He lives in Bryn Mawr, Penn., 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 were also accepted during the course of this spring’s meeting:

• Bruce and Phyllis Nicholas ’55 made a $1,000,000 gift in trust to supplement the Phyllis W. Nicholas Endowed Directorship at The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics.
• Hank ’52 and Louise Ford ’52 Leandermade a gift of $500,000 to support the School of Music programming and endowment.
• Dr. David E. Kranbuehl ’65 and Sarah Roberts Houghland '65 made a gift and commitment of $250,000 to establish the Kranbuehl, Roberts, Hillger Endowed Fund for Faculty Summer Research Grants.
• Robert C. ’60 and Patricia Harms ’57 Canfield made a gift of more than $100,000 to supplement the John J. and Elizabeth Bowden Baughman ’48 Faculty Fellowship, a fellowship they initially funded.

Learn more about The Campaign for DePauw by clicking here.

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