UD Receives $5 Million Matching Gift Challenge
Dec 14, 2011 | University of Dubuque Theological Seminary
University President Jeffrey F. Bullock announced today that the University of Dubuque has received a $5 million matching gift challenge from University Trustee John and Alice Butler. Matching gifts to the John and Alice Butler Matching Gift Challenge will establish a permanent endowment earmarked to support the programming and operations of the University's Performing Arts and Campus Center. The Center, currently under construction, is slated for completion in 2013. The John and Alice Butler Matching Gift Challenge is intended to encourage wider participation in this significant project and increase financial support for the arts on campus.
"John and Alice Butler have long been advocates for the arts in the tri-state region, and a source of strong support for the University," stated President Bullock. "They believe that exposure to art - in all of its forms - is an essential part of what it means for students to be wholly educated in mind, body, and spirit. The notion of a performing arts center joined with a campus center, a place where students encounter music, theater, dance, and visual art as a part of their daily experience, was an important part of my conversations with John and Alice as they made the decision to make this generous gift. Also, of great importance to them was the establishment of a permanent endowment to support the cost of operating the facility as well as providing all-important underwriting for the Center's arts programming, a cause they invite others to join them in through the matching challenge."
John Butler, chairperson and CEO of Cottingham and Butler, Inc. and his spouse, Alice - true partners in business, philanthropy, and community service - have been involved in the life of the University for 29 years. In 2012, John will observe his thirtieth anniversary as a University of Dubuque trustee.
The Performing Arts and Campus Center will be a key ingredient in fulfilling that part of the University's Mission that calls us to educate accomplished, informed, and culturally-literate graduates who can move with confidence and grace in an ever-changing world. The new facility will be central to the University of Dubuque campus, and will provide a multitude of venues to serve students, faculty, staff, and the public. Endowment funding will help to support programing for the many public spaces of the new facility, including a 1000-seat Main Hall and lobby, a 200-seat black box theater, and an art gallery.
One can participate in the John and Alice Butler Matching Gift Challenge by contacting the University's Office of Advancement at 563.589.3158 or 800.483.2586
