Le Moyne College has announced a record $12 million gift by James Carroll, Ph.D., a graduate of the class of 1966, that will name the College of Arts and Sciences at Le Moyne. The announcement was made to faculty, staff and students at an on-campus event on Tuesday, March 26.
The gift will name Arts and Sciences as the Dr. James J. ’66 and Mary A. Carroll College of Arts and Sciences. Jim, a double major in history and political science at Le Moyne, retired last month from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School, where he had served as a research associate professor since 1987.
“Coming from a modest background, I am humbled and proud to be able to contribute to the future success of Le Moyne, an institution that played an integral role in my personal and professional life,” said Jim. “The strong Jesuit education I received at Le Moyne stays with me to this day. My career in higher education has allowed me to understand the intrinsic value found in supporting faculty research and teaching and also the great need to provide resources for student scholarships.” He credits “wise investments” for allowing him to support Le Moyne in such a significant way.
Jim is a native of Binghamton, N.Y. who attended the former St. Patrick’s Academy. Just two months before he began his studies at Le Moyne, his father passed away, leaving his mother to make the tuition payment. She was able to use her husband’s savings along with some stocks to pay for Jim’s first year of college. During his time on the Heights, he took multiple jobs both on and off campus to pay for tuition and living expenses.
Following his graduation from Le Moyne, in 1970 Jim earned an M.S. in social studies education at Syracuse University and a Ph.D. in social sciences at SU’s Maxwell School in 1985. He taught social studies at Bishop Ludden High School from 1967 to 1973 and at Westhill High School from 1973 to 1979. He also worked at SU’s School of Education from 1983 to 1987.
Most of Jim’s career in the 1980s and 90s involved his conducting workshops on Project LEGAL (a national constitutional law project he developed for elementary and secondary American history teachers and their students in hundreds of adoption schools in 34 states). In recent decades, he has focused on conducting teacher workshops through his gifted education grants, focusing on public policy skills for teachers and students in disadvantaged schools primarily in New York City.
Jim and Mary married in 1967 and raised seven children, all of whom went on to professional success in various fields, including clinical psychology, social work, dentistry, education, law and veterinary medicine.
"Le Moyne College is blessed to have the generous support of Jim and Mary Carroll," said President Linda LeMura. "Their belief in Le Moyne will help us provide the values-informed, intellectually rigorous and student-centered education that has defined the College since its founding. Jim and Mary exemplify one of our enduring values - preparing our students to live lives of leadership and service that lead to a more just society. On a personal note, when my parents moved into their neighborhood on Syracuse's north side, Mary's mother Anna was a neighbor who offered my mother friendship, support, and a sense of community. This gift is particularly poignant and meaningful to me because it symbolizes my belief that, at Le Moyne, dolphins never swim alone. Jim and Mary's gift will help all of us swim together for generations to come."
Elements of the gift will fund the following:
· Dr. James J. ‘66 and Mary A. Carroll Scholarship Fund, to provide scholarships for students in need of financial assistance who enroll at Le Moyne as majors within the arts and sciences.
· Dr. James J. Carroll ‘66 Endowed Professor in Arts and Sciences, with preference given for disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.
· Mary A. Carroll Endowed Professor in Arts and Sciences, with preference to a Jesuit who is a member of the faculty.
· Creation of the Carroll Visiting Scholar program.
In addition, the Carrolls’ gift will help fund the William J. Bosch, S.J. Teaching and Learning Center, which was announced last week.
“The College of Arts and Sciences ensures that the centuries-long tradition of Jesuit higher education is kept alive at Le Moyne in an innovative, inspirational and meaningful way,” said Jim Hannan, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Through the many majors housed in Arts and Sciences in the core curriculum completed by all undergraduates, Arts and Sciences contributes with outstanding teaching and exciting research to the success of Le Moyne’s students and the College as a whole. I’m thrilled by this gift and the support it provides for students and faculty, on whose behalf I extend my deepest gratitude to Jim and Mary Carroll.”
“Fifteen months ago, we announced that the number one priority as identified in the Tomorrow Together strategic plan was to name the College of Arts and Sciences and the number two priority was to establish a Teaching and Learning Center guided by Jesuit values and Ignatian pedagogy,” said Jim Joseph, 83, Ed.D., vice president for advancement and innovation and dean of the Madden College of Business and Economics. “What we did not know is that we would meet these goals so quickly. Two transformative gifts, announced within a span of one week, have helped us reach our goal of $30 million for the targeted academic campaign, which is now at $35 million and counting. We will continue to invest resources in the academic programs that distinguish a Le Moyne education, even as we redouble our commitment to campaigns for wellness and athletics.”