SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 1, 2006 -- Santa Clara University President Paul Locatelli, S.J., today announced a $1 million contribution from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to Santa Clara University’s Campaign for Santa Clara, helping the University’s campaign total reach $375 million. The gift will go toward the construction of a new building for the Leavey School of Business on the University’s campus.
The new Leavey School of Business building on the university’s Mission campus will be an 84,000 - square foot state-of-the-art facility that will be about 2 1/2 times as large as the current building and will unite the business school classrooms, faculty offices, research centers, and executive education programs that are currently spread across campus. The new building will also be equipped with executive seminar rooms, wired and wireless classrooms, a cyber café, and a business services center.
Locatelli said, “We are very grateful to Bank of America for their gift. Not only will it bring us closer to the start of construction, it will also help us encourage other corporate contributions to address urgent capital needs that continue to be the focus of our fundraising efforts at the close of the campaign.”
“Bank of America has supported the University’s educational mission for over 40 years providing needed assistance for all qualified students to get a higher education,” said Raquel González, San Jose-Silicon Valley Market President, Bank of America. “Organizations like SCU are anchors in their communities, promoting economic activity, creating jobs, and attracting and retaining residents. Santa Clara is helping to build an economically and culturally vibrant Silicon Valley community.”
The Santa Clara grant is part of the bank’s $200 million goal for philanthropic giving in 2006. Under its strategy to promote neighborhood excellence, Bank of America partners with and directs funding to organizations that are committed to improving the communities in which the company conducts business.
The new Leavey School of Business building is one of SCU’s two largest capital projects. The University also broke ground on a new learning commons and library earlier this year.
Barry Posner, Dean of the Leavey School of Business expressed appreciation for the impact of the gift. “The contribution affirms a long-standing partnership the Leavey School of Business has with Bank of America and helps ensure that Santa Clara University can continue to train ethical business leaders for Silicon Valley companies,” he said.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its 8,400 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus master’s and law degrees. Distinguished nationally by the second-highest graduation rate among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. More information is available at www.scu.edu.
Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy
In 2005, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation embarked on an unprecedented $1.5 billion philanthropic goal over the next 10 years. The bank has announced it will donate $200 million in 2006, making Bank of America one of the most generous corporate donors in the country. The bank approaches giving through a national strategy called "neighborhood excellence" under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of communities. Through Team Bank of America, bank associate volunteers contribute more than 650,000 hours each year to improve the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.
