Endowments and Partnerships

Made possible by the Seattle University Jesuit community, the Reverend Louis Gaffney, S.J. Chair in the College of Arts and Sciences promotes issues germane to the Jesuit mission and identity of the faith that does justice and supports the Jesuit ideal of teaching.

The Theiline Pigott McCone Chair in Humanities is dedicated to promoting scholarly life among faculty. The President of Seattle University bestows this award to a member of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty who is an outstanding teacher and scholar in one of the basic humanities disciplines.

The College of Arts and Sciences, Seattle University's largest college, provides funding for the William F. LeRoux, S.J. Endowed Chair in Arts and Sciences. The endowed chair is awarded to a Jesuit academic in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. The appointment is for one academic quarter (10 weeks in Fall, Winter, or Spring). The chair is required to teach one course and conduct a public lecture, with remaining time available to advance his scholarship and engage with the Seattle University community.

The Peter L. Lee Endowed Lectureship in East Asian Culture and Civilization brings to campus prominent experts to explore the impact of East Asian thought and tradition on contemporary issues. The lectureship is housed in the College of Arts and Sciences and managed by the director of the Asian Studies Program. Students engage directly with the visiting scholars on pressing issues related to East Asian studies, modern languages, international business, comparative religion, and many other area. The general public is invited to attend events supported by the endowment.

Learn more about the Peter L. Lee Endowed Lectureship.

Undergraduate sociology students have more opportunities to participate in faculty research projects thanks to a new endowment created by alumnus Richard F. Beers II, class of 2007.

“This endowment furthers our College’s goal of providing exceptional academic opportunities for our undergraduate students,” said Dean David Powers in announcing the gift. “We are grateful to Richard Beers for offering this type of experience to our sociology majors.”

The Beers endowment will provide stipends for students to conduct research with members of the department during the summer months.

Beers, class of 2007, earned his BA in sociology and graduated with departmental honors. While a student, he participated in activities that were instrumental in enhancing his academic and personal growth and development.

“My hope is that through this opportunity to conduct academic research, students can learn, grow, and make the world a better place for all,” Beers said.

Beers works at Microsoft in the global networking services unit.

The Pigott Family Endowment for the Arts is dedicated to deepening the education experience of students by bringing internationally renowned artists to campus. The endowment provides educational and artistic experiences for students and faculty as well as for the general public.

Each year the endowment sponsors major programming in one area of the fine arts (theatre, music, art, or art history) on a rotating basis, while also supporting smaller on-going programming in other areas. Students benefit from direct interaction with the visiting artists and participation in programs and events.

Since the fall of 2003, Seattle University has partnered with the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) to provide a high-quality university education to the company dancers. Housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, the partnership provides PNB company dancers as well as PNB’s Professional Division students a unique opportunity to begin and/or complete their college degrees while they are actively engaging their careers in dance.

This exciting partnership was borne out of a response to a specific need identified by Second Stage, a branch of PNB’s union resources that is charged with helping dancers prepare for life after dance.

Learn more about PNB's Second Stage.