Clarke Receives $6 Million Gift from BVM Sisters
In support of our shared legacy and values, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) presented Clarke University with a $6 million gift on Wednesday, February 14. The funds will serve as the lead gift in Clarke’s upcoming comprehensive campaign. This gift is also the second-largest one-time gift in university history.
Founded in 1843 by Mary Frances Clarke, the University is the only BVM-founded higher education institution in the country still in existence and the longest ongoing mission of the Sisters.
“This exceptional gift is a testament to the continuing relationship Clarke University has with our founders,” said Clarke University Interim President Fletch Lamkin. “These funds and the improvements they support will ensure that our shared mission will continue well into the future.”
The BVM Sisters remain an essential part of Clarke in person and in spirit: from serving on the Board of Trustees, interacting with the student Resident Assistants as Prayer Partners, continuing connections with alumni, and most of all, sharing with Clarke our Core Values of Freedom, Education, Charity, and Justice, values so needed in today’s world and embedded in the Clarke Community.
Our support of Clarke remains crucial to this vital mission of our congregation. The legacy of the BVM Sisters lives on at Clarke and it is evident when you walk in the doors. We are committed to the university’s vision to keep the Core Values of Freedom, Education, Charity, and Justice relevant to every Clarke student who then takes those values into the world with them.
As part of its comprehensive campaign and three-year strategic plan, the university is planning a Student Success Center and campus-wide upgrades to student residential spaces and academic areas. The first phase of an over-arching plan is already underway with the introduction of the Center for Academic Excellence, which brings together Academic Advising, Career Services, and the Margaret Mann Academic Resource Center.
In a later phase, the Student Success Center will create a physical space that ties the Center for Academic Excellence to other student support services, including a reimagining of Clarke’s Admissions and Engagement and Intercultural Programming, as well as modernization of the Nicholas J. Schrup Library and establishment of a Financial Services Center in the Haas Administration Suite. The comprehensive plan also includes a revitalization of the residence halls and classroom spaces in Catherine Byrne Hall through significant infrastructure investments.