Board of regents member Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold ’63 have donated $15 million to fund the Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Moral Formation and Applied Ethics and serve as a lead gift towards the construction of a new academic center, Dundon-Berchtold Hall. The new building will house classrooms, faculty offices, selected key programs, gathering spaces, and the Brian Doyle auditorium. It is the first construction of a new building in the middle of campus since Franz Hall was built in 1995. Two cameras have been installed to view the construction of Dundon-Berchtold Hall. Please use this link and this link.
Jim Berchtold
Major Dundon-Berchtold Gift Announced
University of Portland president Rev. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., announced a $15 million commitment from board of regents member Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold ’63. The donation will fund the Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Moral Formation and Applied Ethics and serve as a lead gift towards the construction of a new academic center which will be the future home of the Dundon-Berchtold Institute and be named Dundon-Berchtold Hall.
Dundon-Berchtold Hall, as the new academic center, will also house classrooms, faculty offices, selected key programs, and a gathering space. The University will now be seeking additional gifts to complete the academic building, expected to cost $30 million.
In recent years the Dundon-Berchtolds made a commitment to create an endowment to fund the Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Moral Development and Applied Ethics. The initiative includes the Character Project, an ethics class where students engage in guided discussions as to how personal value systems and beliefs can influence moral character; the Dundon-Berchtold Applied Ethics Program, which pair students with faculty to conduct research projects related to professional and applied ethics in a variety of academic disciplines; and bringing renowned speakers to campus, including Meg Jay and David Brooks.
For more information contact the development office at hanna@up.edu.
Dan McGinty To Head Dundon-Berchtold Institute
Dan McGinty, who has served for the past ten years as special assistant to the provost for academic advising to athletes, has been named as director of the Dundon-Berchtold Institute for Moral Formation and Applied Ethics, according to Thomas Greene, provost. This administrative position is funded through a generous gift from Amy Dundon and Jim Berchtold. McGinty will provide leadership for strategic planning, program coordination, and new outreach efforts for the Institute. He has been involved with the initiative from its inception and has demonstrated a passion for this important work in extending ethics as a centerpiece of the University. For more information contact the provost’s office at 7105 or staten@up.edu.
$4M Dundon-Berchtold RISE Campaign Gift
The University of Portland has announced a RISE Campaign donation of $4 million from Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold ’63, to create an endowment for the Dundon-Berchtold Fund for Moral Development and Applied Ethics. The gift, which was announced at the recent annual retreat of the board of regents, will have a significant and lasting impact on the University, according to president-elect Rev. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., who was instrumental in the creation of the fund. The gift will create an endowment, providing for sufficient operating funds and an endowed directorship.
The Berchtolds provided seed money two years ago to create an initiative that focuses on character formation and applied ethics. The initiative includes “The Character Project,” which offers a venue for students to engage in guided discussions as to how personal value systems and beliefs can influence moral character. Fr. Poorman created a similar program at the University of Notre Dame, where he previously team-taught a class with University regent Carolyn Woo. Amy Dundon-Berchtold is also a member of UP’s board of regents.
Amy Dundon-Berchtold became familiar with the Portland community and University of Portland largely through her husband, Jim Berchtold, a 1963 UP graduate. The couple met following the loss of both of their spouses. The couple began discussing the idea of moral formation and applied ethics during a University trip in 2011 that included several priests from the Congregation of Holy Cross. During discussions on that trip with Fr. Poorman and others, the couple made an on-the-spot exploratory gift of $25,000. Several months later, after the initial project was fine-tuned, the couple donated $500,000 to bring Fr. Poorman’s vision to reality.
The Dundon-Berchtold gift is part of the University’s RISE Campaign, which was announced in December 2010 and seeks to raise $175 million by 2014. The campaign has raised more than $172 million to date and is one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university. For more information contact the development office at 7395 or hanna@up.edu.