La Salle University has launched a $25 million campaign targeted to build a new science and technology center and increase the endowment for scholarships. Over $13 million in gifts and pledges have been secured toward the $25 million goal.

J. Hugh Devlin, a 1964 La Salle graduate, is Chair of the "Shoulder to Shoulder" fundraising initiative. "I have always admired the Christian Brothers, who founded La Salle, and their commitment to providing a Catholic education to good students of modest means so that they can make their way in the world and also make the world a better place," remarked Devlin, of Fair Haven, N.J. "It is my belief that the values imparted to us by the Christian Brothers-connectedness and giving back-will inspire the alumni community to stand together to advance the mission of La Salle through this important initiative."

Construction of the new science and technology center will follow the completion of a new $24 million residence and dining facility currently under construction. The new residence halls, which will accommodate 435 students, are scheduled to open in the fall of 2005.

"La Salle is investing in the future, which is also an investment in the city of Philadelphia and the region. A new science and technology center will not only support the University's traditional science, business, and nursing programs, but also strengthen newer programs like Integrated Science, Business, and Technology (ISBT), Digital Arts, and Speech-Language-Hearing Science," said 1971 graduate James J. Lynch, Chair of the La Salle University Board of Trustees and a member of the "Shoulder to Shoulder" Steering Committee.

"Shoulder to Shoulder" is the way many great things in this country have been accomplished," said Lynch. "The theme of this fundraising effort was chosen specifically to reinforce the values at the heart of what will make this campaign a success: hardworking people-working together-to secure the future for La Salle."

"I am very encouraged by alumni support for this initiative," said La Salle President Michael J. McGinniss, F.S.C. "Great universities are great because their alumni make them so, and this campaign will make La Salle even greater."

In addition to a new science and technology center, the campaign will also raise funds for the endowment, which is critical to the University's ability to offer a La Salle education to as many qualified students as possible. Today, more than 90 percent of students attend the University with some form of merit- or need-based financial aid.

Since 1997, the University has experienced significant growth in overall enrollment as well as in the number of resident students. Undergraduate full-time enrollment this year is 3,358; graduate enrollment is 1,880; and 983 students are enrolled in the University's Continuing Studies Program. The total of 6,221 students makes this the largest campus-wide enrollment since 1990, the largest undergraduate enrollment since 1992, and the largest graduate enrollment in La Salle history. Overall, campus-wide enrollment has grown 21 percent in the past seven years.

La Salle is an independent, coeducational university founded in 1863 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a Catholic order dedicated to teaching and career preparation. The University derives its name from the patron saint of teachers, John Baptist de La Salle, a priest and educational innovator who founded the order in France in 1680.

The University currently offers undergraduate concentrations in almost 60 academic areas within its three schools: Arts and Sciences, Business, and Nursing. Additionally, La Salle offers 14 graduate programs, including the University's first doctoral program, in clinical psychology.