Seton Hill University announced a multimillion dollar fundraising campaign Wednesday night benefiting student scholarships, student support services, academic program development and updated facilities at the university.
But it has already raised the majority — $96.3 million — of its goal funding.
The campaign, entitled “Framing the Future: The Campaign for Seton Hill University,” aims to raise $110 million by 2028, which will be the university’s 110th anniversary.
It’s centered around three priorities: mission and identity, securing student success and strategic growth through innovation.
Fundraising for the campaign first began in 2018, said President Mary Finger, but efforts were put on pause amid the covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s very exciting,” Finger said after announcing the campaign to a crowd of alumni, donors and community members Wednesday evening. “I think this last push is what our focus is at this point — to finish fundraising for buildings and scholarships and community outreach.”
Scholarships goal: 40% of campaign funding
Funding will be used to support programs and initiatives that carry on the university’s Catholic mission, and create scholarships and support services for students.
The university aims to devote $45 million from the campaign to student scholarships, Finger said.
“The more student scholarship funds we can raise, the better. We have a very strong commitment to affordability and access,” she said. “Thirty percent of our students are from under-resourced environments and Pell (Grant) recipients. Many are first generation (college students), and that’s a mix that we’ve committed to.”
Among the university’s scholarship recipients is nursing student Natavia Smith.
“I am a first-generation college student, and I pay my own way through school. The financial burden of higher education can be daunting,” Smith told the audience gathered in the Seton Hill Performing Arts Center on Wednesday. “I am grateful for donors … whose support of scholarships have had a profound impact on my ability to continue my studies, stay focused on my goals and work toward a future that I am proud of.”
Campaign targets building renovation, construction
The campaign also will help create new programs of study to meet regional workforce needs, renovate Sullivan Hall and build a new athletics field house.
The university aims to update classroom and laboratory space in the 100-year-old Sullivan Hall starting in spring 2027. The building’s castle-like exterior will remain untouched by the renovation, Finger said.
The project will support the health professions, natural sciences, business and technology programs — which have the largest enrollment at the university.
Jared Burns, dean of the university’s school of business and technology, said Seton Hill has created more than 40 new degree programs across the last decade.
“And there are more programs to come,” he said. “We need to prepare students for how AI will impact the world, and the jobs that will be needed and those that will be obsolete.”
High-tech classrooms will be installed in Sullivan Hall to account for the changing business and technology workforce landscape, Burns said.
Classrooms and labs for nursing and physical therapy students also will be included in the renovation, said Tara Phillips, a nursing instructor.
“Health care is constantly changing,” she said, “and new graduate programs and nursing are on the horizon here at Seton Hill to meet those changes head on.”
The new field house will include an indoor 200-meter practice track, locker rooms and offices for athletics staff. The facility is slated for completion by fall 2027.
Framing the future of Seton Hill
Some of the campaign funding also will go toward local economic development.
The university annually contributes $194 million toward the local economy, Finger said.
Its Wukich Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunities, for example, connects students to local business owners. This allows students to gain entrepreneurial experience — including development of business or marketing plans — while assisting small businesses, she said.
Seton Hill is working with Greensburg and Westmoreland County officials to determine ways it can assist in economic development with the additional campaign funding.
“One of the areas that we’ve been exploring is the need for affordable housing,” she said, “and we’ll continue to have those conversations and see where we can intersect and help with that.”
Though the university has raised nearly 88% of its goal funding for the campaign, its work is not yet over, Finger said.
“I invite each of you to join us in this final stretch to help us build a future that is as bold as our past,” she said. “Together, we will ensure that Seton Hill remains a dynamic presence in our world for the next century and beyond. Together, we will frame the future of Seton Hill University.”