Endowed Chairs

Most colleges and universities—even from the very beginnings of the medieval universities—have depended upon endowments for financial stability. One particular form of endowment regrettably underutilized at most small Catholic colleges and universities is the endowed chair, which funds a particular professor’s salary and benefits in whole or in part.

Due to the unique room and board situation for faculty at St. Isidore’s, a relatively small endowment can provide the salary and benefits for one of our professors. Assuming a 5% annual draw, a $1 million endowment should be able to support one professor (and his or her family) indefinitely.

Therefore, a gift of at least $1 million can be used to establish an endowed chair. A donor can provisionally establish an endowed chair with an initial gift of at least $100,000 and a pledge to donate at least $1 million over the course of the five years following the date of the initial gift.

We do not name buildings after donors at St. Isidore’s, but we want endowed chairs to be named after their donor(s) or some honoree(s) designated by their donor(s) so that the professor holding a given endowed chair can pray daily for the donor(s) and/or honoree(s).

Because we recognize that many donors want to contribute to the livelihood of the faculty at St. Isidore’s but do not have the means by which to fund an endowed chair, we also welcome small donations that will collectively meet the needs of faculty who do not hold endowed chairs, and those professors will likewise pray daily for their benefactors.

The names of donors (and/or their honorees) who contribute any amount to our Faculty Fund for a given academic year will be added to a list of benefactors for whom professors who do not hold endowed chairs will pray daily. Donations of at least $1,000 to the Faculty Fund for a given academic year will provide the salary and benefits for one professor (and his or her family) for one week, and the faculty member so provided for will pray daily for that donor every day in a designated week (when possible, around a special date chosen by the donor). Donations of at least $5,000 to the Faculty Fund for a given academic year will provide the salary and benefits for one professor (and his or her family) for one month, and the faculty member so provided for will pray daily for that donor every day in a designated month (when possible, the month chosen by the donor). Donations of at least $50,000 to the Faculty Fund for a given academic year will provide the salary and benefits for one professor (and his or her family) for that academic year, and the faculty member so provided for will pray daily for that donor throughout that academic year.