Alumnus and Real Estate Investor Patrick Cadigan Gives $42 Million to Claremont Graduate University to Create a Space for Entrepreneurship and the Humanities

CLAREMONT, Calif., Feb. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Claremont Graduate University (CGU) announces the largest philanthropic commitment in its nearly 100-year history—$42 million for the construction of a building that will become the new home for the university's School of Arts & Humanities, as well as a nexus for entrepreneurial business faculty and students.

The gift comes from a foundation established by alumnus Patrick F. Cadigan, a real estate investor and former tech CEO who earned his master's degree (1978) and PhD in management (1980) while studying under the legendary Peter Drucker, who is regarded as the father of modern management theory.

"Dad felt a strong personal responsibility to give back to the schools that contributed to the man he became and to the high level of success he achieved," said Maria Cadigan about her father, who passed away in April 2020. "It deeply moves me when I think of CGU's future and the people who will work together in the magnificent building that will be erected in his honor."

Cadigan was one of the most active, largest private investors in apartment properties exclusively in Orange County, Calif., with a portfolio approaching $1 billion. As a result of his great success, Cadigan was able to support his alma maters with philanthropic investments, including the new one for CGU.

Cadigan's $42 million commitment comes on the heels of a $14 million gift from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians to establish the Yuhaaviatam Center for Health Studies, a research center serving vulnerable populations in the Inland Empire and Indian Country.

CGU's new building, which will be named in Cadigan's honor, will be located on a two-acre lot across from the Drucker School, which is named for his mentor. That building will become a hub for one of CGU's core principles, transdisciplinary education, in which scholars across many disciplines collaborate in response to society's complex issues.

"This gift offers a tremendous opportunity for CGU to build something with form and function that inspires innovation and entrepreneurship," said CGU President Len Jessup. "The working name in our master plan for the two-acre lot is the Da Vinci Project. That sets a high bar for what we want to accomplish, and thanks to Mr. Cadigan, that goal is within our reach."

Learn more: https://info.cgu.edu/cadigan/

Contact: Nick Owchar at [email protected]

SOURCE Claremont Graduate University