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Summer 2003

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Members of the Villanova community currently are working together to create a unique and compelling document that illustrates why supporting the University at this critical juncture in its history is vitally important if it is to realize its ambitious vision for the future. Known as the Case for Support, this document describes Villanova’s past successes, present accomplishments, and future aspirations. It explains the principal and most crucial needs of the University and describes why giving to Villanova at this time will have profound implications for its growth, development, and fulfillment of those most urgent needs.

Villanova’s current capital campaign, Transforming Minds and Hearts: The Campaign for Villanova, will enter its public phase in December 2004. The Campaign, the most ambitious fundraising effort in the University’s history, is a $200 million project rapidly nearing the end of three years of quiet phase activity. During the public announcement of The Campaign at a gala to be held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Dec. 4, 2003, the Case for Support will be distributed to all attendees and later shared with all interested Villanovans.

“The importance of the Case for Support rests in its ability to articulate and contextualize the needs of the University in a compelling way so as to motivate Villanovans to become involved with and support their alma mater,” said John M. Elizandro, vice president for Institutional Advancement. “The case statement will serve to shape Villanova’s future.”

The foundation for the Case for Support is Transforming Minds and Hearts: The Academic Strategic Plan, 2003-2010. This strategic plan sets forth a clear vision for the University: Villanova will be recognized as one of the nation’s leading Catholic universities by virtue of the vibrancy, effectiveness, and distinctiveness of the undergraduate education it offers, the quality and impact of its graduate programs, and the excellence of its faculty.

“The University’s future depends on its academic future,” said John J. Johannes on why the Academic Strategic Plan serves as the core of the Case for Support. “The Academic Strategic Plan maps out that future for undergraduate and graduate education, for faculty, and for Villanova’s national, regional, and local presence.”

The Academic Strategic Plan outlines four key objectives for Villanova as part of its vision for the future:

• The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will remain the heart of the academic enterprise, providing excellence in Liberal Arts education to its students and a distinctive foundation for undergraduates enrolled in other colleges throughout the University. The College will promote growth in high-quality master's and doctoral programs that serve the growing national demand for post-baccalaureate education.

• The College of Commerce and Finance will be recognized as the top Catholic undergraduate business program in the United States and as one of the Philadelphia region’s premier graduate business programs.

• The College of Engineering will be recognized as the leading Catholic engineering school in the nation, a benchmark for excellence, distinctiveness, and innovation.

• The College of Nursing will be recognized as one of the three leading Catholic schools of nursing in the United States and recognized nationally for its superior undergraduate education and the distinctive focus of its graduate programs.

To achieve this vision, Villanova for the remainder of the decade will pursue four goals:

• Provide a distinctive, holistic, and values-based undergraduate education.

• Advance distinctive and rigorous graduate education and scholarship.

• Recruit, support, and retain a talented, diverse, and caring faculty.

• Serve as an intellectual and cultural resource for the extended local community.

The Case for Support explains these objectives and provides a detailed framework of the many exciting and valuable opportunities for alumni, parents, and friends to support. The document is meant to educate Villanova alumni, parents, and friends on why giving back to the University is critical for its future success.

“We need to explain what the future of the University will be like, how it will affect students, and why we need to raise additional funds in support of the University’s mission,” Johannes said. “It is important for potential benefactors to understand not just that their gift will buy this or that, but rather why that purchase or that program will make a difference. It is likewise important to remind our alumni and alumnae that, while they were here as students, somebody else was helping to pay for their education. This is an opportunity to give back.”

And opportunities to make a difference in Villanova’s future abound. “Many may appear rather mundane,” Johannes said, “but nevertheless are terribly important if we are to graduate students ready to take on the challenges that society presents: supporting technology; providing research support for students and faculty; keeping classroom and laboratory instrumentation up to date; and so on.”

Future articles in Villanova Magazine will describe in depth the many exciting opportunities to fund at the University, including opportunities in the Honors Program, the Center for International Studies, the trading room in the College of Commerce and Finance, the College Advising Centers, Campus Ministry, Living-Learning Communities, athletics, and many more.

“Now more than ever before in its rich history, Villanova is a stimulating and vibrant place to grow as a student,” Elizandro said. “Supporting the University through a financial contribution is one important way alumni, parents, and friends can ensure that a Villanova education remains an exceptional opportunity and experience for future generations of students.”