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SAN ANTONIO • St. Mary’s University continues making major advances in developing private institutional support, receiving a combined $3.5 million to win the legal war on terror, build its endowments and recruit the best and brightest faculty.
The major gifts to St. Mary’s, consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Colleges” in the West by U.S. News & World Report, are:
• $1 million from an anonymous donor to the Center for Terrorism Law at the School of Law. Led by assistant law professor Jeff Addicott, the center, which opened in 2003, will expand its offerings of legal courses and seminars in terrorism law, add additional office space and recruit new staff members. Addicott is a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Corps where he was a senior legal advisor on national security and humans rights law to the U.S. Army Special Forces.
• $1 million toward the creation of the Benjamin F. Biaggini Jr. Chair in the critically acclaimed School of Science, Engineering and Technology. Business associates, colleagues and friends of Biaggini wanted to establish an endowed chair to honor the former chairman of Southern Pacific Railroad for his professional accomplishments and his legacy at St. Mary’s. Biaggini, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics, magna cum laude in 1936, also received the 1973 Distinguished Alumnus Award on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of St. Mary’s School of Business and Administration, in addition to an honorary doctorate in 1995. He began his 47-year career with Southern Pacific in 1936 as a rodman before moving up the managerial ranks, ultimately becoming CEO in 1968 until his retirement in 1983. The holder of the chair will be required to engage in academic research in addition to other professional duties.
• $1.5 million from employees, retirees and board members of Valero Energy Corp. for the Bill Greehey Chair for Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility. They established the endowed chair in honor of Chairman and CEO Bill Greehey, an alumnus of St.Mary’s (BBA ’60). He was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 1986, has received an honorary doctorate, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees. Valero employees, ranging from store clerks to refinery workers to executives and board members made gifts ranging from $5 to $10,000 to establish the chair. The University plans to fill the position in 2005. The chair specifies that St. Mary’s teach one course each semester in Business Ethics and Social Responsibility.
“Taken together, permanently invested funds provide annual income to help St. Mary’s educate future leaders, attorneys and business professionals for generations to come,” said Charles L. Cotrell, Ph.D., president. “The generosity of our donors will improve the education process for many, many students, who will benefit and ultimately advance society as a whole.”
Endowment funds provide an important measure of financial stability for St. Mary’s for generations to come. Income from endowments at St. Mary’s can provide funds for faculty positions, scholarships, lecture series, library needs and research. |