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Honolulu, HI—Dec. 12, 2005--- John and Mary Lou Brogan have pledged $1 million to help fund the educational center at Chaminade University of Honolulu. Chaminade’s education building was renamed Brogan Hall in a dedication ceremony honoring the Brogans for their generosity and the impact their gift will have on improving the quality of teachers in Hawaii.
In making their gift the Brogans focused their support on two priorities of Chaminade University: 1) the promotion of partnerships between the Diocese of Honolulu and Chaminade University which allows Chaminade the ability to contribute the on-going vitality of Catholic schools in the Diocese; and 2) the development and maintenance of high quality facilities for use by the Chaminade community. “The Brogan’s generous gift to Chaminade University has enabled the faculty in the Education Division to serve the teachers and administrators in the Pacific Rim and Hawaiian Catholic Schools,” said Lynn Simek-Morgan, interim dean of education. Chaminade graduates the second largest number of teachers in the state.
John Brogan is a Chaminade Regent, chairs the university capital campaign and led the board for two terms as chair. The retired President-Hawaii for the ITT Sheraton Corporation, Brogan believes an investment to education is a commitment to Hawaii’s workforce and society as a whole. “Coming on the board, I learned more and more about the school and became impressed with the change that Chaminade was able to make in young people’s lives, educating the whole person for future life,” he said.
Mary Lou Brogan said that it was also important to support Chaminade as a Catholic University. With a degree in education and having been through 16 years of Catholic education, she said she knew the difference an education from a Catholic university can make. “I appreciated it deeply,” she said. “It set my course for life.”
Celebrating the institution’s 50th anniversary, Chaminade University Regents have announced several major gifts this year. Paul and Vi Loo funded the Vi and Paul Loo Student Center Jean E. Rolles and her daughter Kiki Tidwell funded the Jean E. Rolles Kiki Tidwell Sculpture Garden in honor of Chaminade fine arts professor Yukio Ozaki, In addition to the Brogan gift, more than $3 million in renovations and new facilities have already greeted Chaminade students this fall, including seven new science faculty offices, two new science laboratories, new student service offices, faculty and administrative offices, and the addition of a campus ministry center.
Celebrating 50 years of educating students for life, service and successful careers, Chaminade University offers programs of study grounded in the liberal arts with day, evening, online and accelerated courses. The main campus is located in Kaimuki at 3140 Waialae Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816, with 10 satellite locations around Oahu military bases and Catholic parishes and schools. For more information, visit the Chaminade University website at www.chaminade.edu or call (808) 735-4711.
