Marquette University: Two new $1 million gifts propel Marquette to break ground on new Jesuit Residence

Contact:
Name: Brian Dorrington
Phone: (414) 288-4179
Email: brian.dorrington@marquette.edu

Celebratory groundbreaking to take place Aug. 15


Note: A photo of Bernice Shanke Greiveldinger and a new high-resolution architectural rendering are available, upon request.

MILWAUKEE – 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, President Michael R. 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,” President 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.”

Gift from the Bernice Shanke Greiveldinger Charitable Trust
Bernice 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.

Shanke Greiveldinger worked for 43 years at the then Milwaukee Journal in the advertising department. She followed in the footsteps of her brother, Edwin, who also graduated from Marquette in 1932 from Marquette’s School of Journalism. He was a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press, based in Berlin, Germany, and later in London and Stockholm, during and after World War II.

“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.”

Anonymous gift
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 couple currently has two grandchildren enrolled at Marquette and several other family members are graduates of the university.

About the new Jesuit Residence
The new 40,000 square-foot 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.

Jesuit Residence groundbreaking information:
Date: Friday, Aug. 15, 2014
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Place: 1400 block of West Wells St.
Between Schroeder Hall and the Alumni Memorial Union

Media interested in attending the groundbreaking should contact Brian Dorrington, senior director of university communication, at (414) 288-4719 or brian.dorrington@marquette.edu.