McGrory Donates $1.2 Million
Alumnus Jack McGrory continues his support of The Campaign for SDSU.
San Diego State University has even more to be thankful for this holiday season — alumnus Jack McGrory has donated $1.2 million to The Campaign for SDSU, bringing the campaign to $435 million of its $500 million goal.
"This gift will build Jack McGrory's unique legacy at San Diego State,” said SDSU President Elliot Hirshman. “As an alumnus, faculty member, Campanile Foundation board member and passionate supporter of public administration, student veterans and classics and humanities, Jack has made extraordinary contributions to our campus. We are extremely grateful for his continuing support."
The gift is the second significant contribution to the campaign by McGrory, who earned his master’s degree in public administration from SDSU in 1976.
The gift will be divided among three areas of the university that are especially meaningful to McGrory: the Joan and Art Barron’s Veteran’s Center; the School of Public Affairs and the Department of Classics and Humanities.
“I’m proud of my education at SDSU,” said McGrory who is CEO of La Jolla MJ Management, Inc. “I would not be where I am today without my education, and I am thrilled to be able to help the programs that have meant so much to me thrive at San Diego State.”
Supporting public affairs
McGrory has a distinguished resume that includes serving as chairman and CEO of Price Legacy Corporation, chief operating officer of The San Diego Padres, manager of the Price Group, executive vice president and director of Price Charities and San Diego’s city manager.
He also teaches a graduate-level course in public administration at SDSU, so it is no surprise that he supports the School of Public Affairs.
McGrory’s gift will continue to fund The Jack McGrory Internship Adviser in the School of Public Affairs. It will also create internships for undergraduate students in the school through the Jack McGrory Interns program and support a distinguished speaker series for the master’s of public administration urban studies program.
Advancing the classics
McGrory earned his bachelor’s degree in the classics and humanities from Colgate University in 1971 and believes strongly that the humanities provide the foundation for a successful intellectual, cultural and professional life.
To that end, his donation to SDSU’s Department of Classics and Humanities will provide scholarships for high-achieving students through the Jack McGrory Scholars; encourage travel abroad for students with financial need through the Jack McGrory Study Abroad Scholarship; and provide funding for high-achieving juniors and seniors to conduct collaborative research with SDSU faculty studying the humanities with the Jack McGrory Collaborative Research Fellows.
Bolstering veterans
McGrory is also a U.S. Marine veteran, and his gift to SDSU’s Joan and Art Barron Veterans Center will secure staffing for the center, which serves as the hub for all student veteran support services at SDSU. This gift will also create an ongoing series of scholarships for student veterans.
Building a legacy
McGrory’s first major gift to The Campaign for SDSU was a $1.2 million gift in 2011, also supporting veteran’s programs, the School of Public Affairs and the Department of Classics and Humanities.
“The Campaign for SDSU has been a great success,” said McGrory. “The university has gone from a regional university to a nationally known research university, and it’s exciting to see it continue to move forward. It has also been great to see the level of support from alumni, not just locally, but from all over the country.”
The Campaign for SDSU was launched in 2007 to create new opportunities for student success and to help SDSU continue to develop as a leading public research university. To date, the Campaign has received more than 44,500 gifts from alumni, friends, faculty, staff, parents and community partners, including 80 gifts of $1 million or more.
