University of Portland Announces Transformational Gift for Academic Support from Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold '63

PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 announcement was made at the University's fall Board of Regents meeting. 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. 

This new academic center will also house classrooms, faculty offices, selected key programs, and a gathering space. With this lead gift in place, the University will now be seeking additional gifts to complete the academic building, expected to cost $30 million. 

Over the past decade, the University of Portland has experienced unheralded success in student recruitment, student retention, national rankings, and fundraising. As a result of support from the University's recently completed $182 million Rise Campaign, UP has constructed or renovated 11 new buildings or structures on the 150-acre campus during the past 6 years.

UP's President, Fr. Mark L. Poorman, C.S.C., notes "This gift from the Dundon-Berchtolds is transformational for the University of Portland. As the student population at the University has grown 30% over the past decade, our classroom space has remained the same.  In order to keep our cherished student to faculty ratio at 14:1, we are utilizing classrooms from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. A twenty-first century academic building will take UP to even greater heights. I am extremely grateful to Amy Dundon-Berchtold and Jim Berchtold for their incredible generosity and their enormous investment in our students and faculty. This new academic center will have a deep impact on the UP campus and our students' experiences for generations to come."

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 gift has already made a significant effect on the University, according to Fr. Poorman, who was instrumental in the creation of the fund. The initiative includes several efforts. "The Character Project," is 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 features faculty-student teams that conduct research projects related to professional and applied ethics in the following academic disciplines: engineering, education, nursing, life sciences, social sciences, fine and performing arts, humanities and business. Additionally the Dundon-Berchtold Institute is bringing renowned speakers to Portland.  This Sunday the University will host Meg Jay, author of The Defining Decade and on March 16, 2016 David Brooks, of the New York Times will be on campus to speak about his book, The Road to Character. 

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. Amy Dundon-Berchtold has enjoyed a very successful career in real estate, which she started with her mother, Dr. Joyce King Stoops. Amy Dundon-Berchtold noted, "I think my mom would be proud of what we are doing at the University of Portland.  She believed wholeheartedly in education and making the world a better place."

The University of Portland is an independently governed Catholic university guided by the Congregation of Holy Cross. U.S. News & World Report ranks the institution as one of the top ten regional universities in the American West. It is the only school in Oregon to offer a College of Arts & Sciences, a graduate school, and nationally accredited programs in the schools of business, education, engineering, and nursing.

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SOURCE University of Portland

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