March 08, 2018
La Roche College Announces “Many Faces, One Vision” Campaign
PITTSBURGH, March 8, 2018 – The public phase of La Roche University’s multimillion dollar campaign is now underway to support student success and to expand alumni contributions across the globe.
“As a Catholic institution imbued with the charism and values of our founders, the Sisters of Divine Providence, La Roche is committed to strengthening our place in the region while making an impact throughout the world,” La Roche President Sister Candace Introcaso, CDP, Ph.D., said. “This campaign will ensure that future generations of La Roche students, drawn from diverse backgrounds, can share our mission to promote a vision of peace and justice, and make a profound impact that is truly best for the world.”
The campaign, titled “Many Faces, One Vision: Being the Best for the World” is a philanthropic effort to raise $12.5 million in support of academics, student activities, athletics, scholarships and student aid. The campaign also will help to fund campus improvements, including a renovation of La Roche’s Palumbo Science Center, constructed in 1980.
As Chair of the La Roche board of trustees, Distinguished Alumna and Principal of DRS Architects, Kathryn A. Jolley ’81, ASID, has contributed generously to this campaign.
She said, “My husband Greg and I are proud to have funded a scholarship for interior design students at La Roche. As a graduate of that program, I know what a difference a La Roche degree and the La Roche community of faith made in my work and in my life. I am blessed to be in a position to help students realize their dreams. Education has such power to change lives and make the world a better place, one student at a time.”
A primary focus of the “Many Faces, One Vision” campaign is the renovation of the Palumbo Science Center. La Roche received a $1 million grant from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to fund a total renovation of the building’s second floor, but the University must raise additional private funds to secure this grant.
In order to sustain La Roche’s growing enrollment in the sciences and maintain the successful outcomes of students, the entire second floor of the science building will be gutted and completely rebuilt with an expanded, modern design that exhibits today’s most effective learning environments. These efforts will help the University meet the demand for STEM professionals reflected in La Roche’s student population. The Division of Natural and Behavioral Sciences is the fastest growing academic division at La Roche; undergraduate enrollment in STEM majors has increased by 70 percent over the past 10 years.
Howard W. “Hoddy” Hanna III, chairman of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, is a long-time La Roche trustee and generous benefactor. “I am very proud to be associated so closely with La Roche University,” Mr. Hanna said. “The University’s mission and its impact on our region and even around the world is remarkable. With Sister Candace at the helm, La Roche has made enormous strides in recent years, and my wife Mary Anne and I are glad to help advance La Roche toward a very promising future. Given the demand for STEM jobs in our economy, the overhaul of La Roche’s science center is a critically important piece of this campaign.”
La Roche already has reached 65 percent of the total campaign goal, with major donors including Baierl Automotive, S&T Bank, Howard and Mary Anne Hanna, and members of the La Roche board of trustees. Completion of the $2.7 million renovated Baierl Athletic Complex, which was dedicated in 2016, was among the campaign’s early phase projects.
Baierl Automotive President/CEO and La Roche Trustee Lee Baierl said, “La Roche’s investment in the athletic complex provides tremendous benefits to student athletes, coaches and the University as a whole. The athletic complex also serves as an accessible resource to local organizations, making it invaluable to the community. We’re proud to have the Baierl name associated with an organization that places as much value on our neighborhoods as it does its students.”
All gifts given or pledged by the end of 2018 will count toward the campaign goal. For more information or to inquire, contact Vice President for Institutional Advancement Michael Andreola at 412-536-1096 or michael.andreola@laroche.edu.
About La Roche University: A private liberal arts college in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, La Roche University offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, six graduate degree programs and one doctoral program, with particular strengths in education, business, criminal justice, psychology, and health and medical sciences, as well as interior design and graphic design. This residential college provides a vibrant campus community for more than 1,500 men and women enjoying 30-plus student organizations and an exciting NCAA Div. III athletics program. Founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche University embraces its Catholic heritage while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. With a legacy of social justice and a commitment to international exchange, La Roche University educates students to be lifelong learners and achievers in an increasingly diverse and global society.
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