NEW ORLEANS — Loyola University New Orleans celebrates this week a generous $1.5 million gift that will expand the scope of the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, now under the direction of Kate McCrery.
Bestowed by an anonymous donor, the gift will transform and expand opportunities available to all Loyola students aiming to pursue their interests in entrepreneurship.
“Entrepreneurship has the potential to solve large-scale, complex problems that impact communities in any town or city,” said McCrery, who took over leadership of the Center this month. “Through the generosity of this gift, every Loyola student from every major can now gain access to this potential, which empowers an entire generation to introduce new ideas and create better communities for us all.”
According to the Data Center, 72 percent of the net new jobs created in New Orleans last year came from 1% of new businesses, McCrery said. As a university, Loyola is working to expand and develop entrepreneurial talent as well as to support community partners. This effort will grow local business and employment and spur economic growth.
Specifically, the gift will allow the CECD to hire and train additional staff, further develop experiential programming for students, bring entrepreneurs and mentors to campus, and launch a new consulting venture that will allow Loyola entrepreneurship majors and MBA students to gain professional experience while providing local businesses operational support. Furthermore, this gift will allow the CECD to develop a new scholarship program for its Certificate in Software Development, which provides coding skills to many students who would otherwise be unable to access crucial career connections that this program creates.
The $1.5 million gift also puts Loyola’s Faith in the Future campaign at $91 million of its $100 million goal, or 91 percent attainment. Following six record-setting years, the Faith in the Future campaign is the most ambitious and successful fundraising campaign in university history.
“At Loyola University New Orleans, we encourage our students to use their creativity and critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and problem-solving skills, to find ways to improve the world around them,” said Loyola University New Orleans President Tania Tetlow. “With this gift, the CECD will expand and grow opportunities for both our students and local businesses throughout New Orleans. Our entire community is grateful to our benevolent donor for this generosity and support.”
