Marquette University has received two new $1 million gifts, which marks the completion of a nine-month, $15 million fundraising effort to build a new 40,000 square-foot on-campus residence for its community of Jesuit priests.
The Bernice Shanke Greiveldinger Charitable Trust made one major gift, and another came from an anonymous Marquette alumnus and his wife.
Earlier today, Marquette President Michael Lovell announced plans to break ground on the new Jesuit Residence with a celebration for the Marquette community on Friday, Aug. 15.
“In my short time on campus, I’ve already been amazed at the generosity and passion of our Marquette University alumni base,” Lovell said. “Our Catholic, Jesuit priests have been instrumental in educating so many generations of students, and this important residence will ensure they remain at the center of our campus and educational experience well into the future.”
Shanke Greiveldinger, who died on March 27, 2008. in Milwaukee, was born to a train engineer and a German immigrant in a blue-collar Milwaukee neighborhood less than two miles from Marquette University’s campus. She graduated from Marquette’s School of Journalism in 1942. She worked for 43 years at the then Milwaukee Journal in the advertising department.
“We have always been impressed by the remarkable effect the Jesuits have had upon our country, and in particular in ethnic, blue-collar communities,” said Geoffrey Greiveldinger, trustee of the Greiveldinger Charitable Trust. “Jesuit priests are at the heart of a Catholic, Jesuit education, so having a Jesuit Residence in the heart of the Marquette campus is as symbolic as it is fitting. The Bernice Shanke Greiveldinger Charitable Trust is honored to be able to help create a new home for Marquette’s Jesuit community.”
The anonymous alumnus noted that Marquette has been a part of his family since the late 1940s.
“The Jesuits have done a wonderful job fostering an environment that combines furthering each individual’s Christian faith with an excellent education and the development of character,” the alumnus benefactor said. “As a family, we are happy to make this gift to help Marquette and the Jesuits’ future, which may include many of our great-grandchildren.”
The new Jesuit Residence will be flanked by the Alumni Memorial Union and Schroeder Hall, and will be located on the 1400 block of West Wells Street. The five-story building, which will be designed by Kubala Washatko Architects, will feature 25 resident rooms and five guest rooms, as well as a chapel and garden space. The current Jesuit Residence will eventually be torn down to increase green space on campus.
Marquette’s Jesuit community is engaged in public works of service to the university and additional ministries in Milwaukee, including teaching, research and administration.
In March, alumni couple Ray and Kay Eckstein donated $5 million for the Jesuit Residence through their charitable trust, and in January an anonymous benefactor earmarked $7.5 million of a $10 million gift for the project.
