Annual Fund Leadership
Educating the Next Generation
“As alumnae/i, we share a rich
university history and are stakeholders in its future. Simply stated, our support is important.
Making your gift to the Annual Fund helps ensure that the dream of a Dominican education is
accessible to current and future generations.”
Susan (Kreuz) McCoyd ’69, Annual Fund Chair 2011-2012
Q: How do you respond to fellow alumnae/i when they ask you why they should give?
I encourage alumnae/i to think back on what their Dominican education has meant to them. Gifts of even $10, $25, $50 are just as important as the larger ones because every gift counts and shows your confidence in the university. Wouldn’t you like to take part and help the university stay true to its mission, now and in the future?
I attended a donor event at Parmer Hall where current students talked about the independent research they are doing.This was PhD-level work and yet these were undergraduates. Parmer Hall provides a state-of-the-art place for students to do their work, but it’s the Annual Fund that gives them the means to do it, by providing appropriate equipment, gifted faculty and the necessary scholarships and financial aid support.
Q: How did previous volunteer and professional roles prepare you to become Dominican’s Annual Fund Chair?
When my children were young, I volunteered at their school, Immaculate Conception Grade School in Elmhurst. I started out writing press releases but over time that morphed into becoming the school’s development director, a role I’ve now held for 24 years.
In that time, I’ve seen lots of changes in the way Catholic education at all levels is funded. For example, as laypeople have taken over the vast majority of the teaching duties, the cost of running any kind of school has gone up dramatically. My work has shown me how important it is that everyone works together to make sure we can educate the next generation.
Q: What was your major at Dominican and how did your studies affect you later in life?
I was an English major with a minor in theology. I’ve remained very interested in both fields ever since. I think a liberal arts education opens you up to all avenues of later study. Would I do it again differently? No—I think a liberal arts education is the key to success in any field.
Q: What are some of your favorite Dominican memories?
In 1965, when I started at Dominican, we couldn’t wear pants to class and had to turn out our lights by a certain time – society changed so quickly that all those rules were gone by the time I graduated in 1969. It was such an exciting time in the Church, too–Vatican II had just happened, and we all felt like the windows were opened and in came the fresh air.
We knew the Sisters so well, both as our professors and as part of our daily lives. They became our mentors and our close personal friends over time. And they were the ones who got many of us interested in the Civil Rights movement and the Peace movement, so it was not a cloistered place like some thought.
I look back at my experiences and realize what a fabulous education I was given and am proud that young people today are still getting an education like that.
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Julia K. Siwierka
Class of 2013
Dean's Scholarship
"Dominican has given me the opportunity for independent thinking. I have learned something different from every single professor; I am appreciative of everything they have done for me both inside and outside the classroom."
