D'Armours donate $4.2 million to AC

Earlier this summer, Assumption College received its largest donation in the history of the college. Dr. Donald D'Amour and his wife Michele donated $4.2 million to Assumption to help keep Catholic traditions alive and "in support of the school's Catholic intellectual traditon", according to the office of Public Affairs. The gift was announced on May 5.Both Dr. and Mrs. D'Amour work for Big Y Foods Inc. Donald is the chairman and CEO of the supermarket chain while Michele works with the company's education program.

Dr. D'Amour has a long history with Assumption College. He attended college here and graduated in 1964. He continued to work with Assumption from 1991-1999 when he was a trustee of the College. "Don is an alumnus of the College, graduating in 1964. His gift is in part a way of showing gratitude for the education that he received here," said Assumption College President Francesco Cesareo.

According to President Cesareo, He and Dr. D'Amour have known eachother since D'Amour became a member of the presidential search committee.

"We quickly developed a friendship and met several times over the course of the last year," Dr. Cesareo said. "As we discussed some of my key priorities for the College, both Don and Michele showed a keen interest in what I hope to accomplish at Assumption."

On the evening the gift was announced, Dr. D'Amour expressed his eagerness and excitement to support Assumption College.

"Michele and I are very excited about Assumption's new president and the direction in which he is taking the College. Since he arrived on campus last July, and in his inauguration address, Dr. Cesareo has articulated a vision that we wholeheartedly support as essential to its growth," he said.

Both Mr. D'Amour and President Cesareo share the same ideas on strengthening Assumption's Catholic education and its liberal arts one as well.

"Dr. D'Amour was a member of the presidential search committee, which was the first time I had ever met him. After my arrival last summer as President, I met with Don and Michele and it was clear that we had similar views and a similar philosophy regarding the missions of Catholic higher education and the value of a liberal arts education," stated President Cesareo.

President Cesareo is thrilled about the gift and plans to use the money in a few important ways to strengthen the College. His ideas revolve around keeping the college traditional.

The money will help the College academically and continue to help the College grow intellectually and spiritually, thereby helping the College in as many ways as possible. These ways include funding the new freshman program, the Tagaste Project. A new grant fund will be established which itself will support the new First Year Program. Along with the Program, a new curriculum and new courses will be developed.

"The grants will provide resources for faculty to develop new courses for the Tagaste Project to develop new courses for the new core curriculum and develop new courses within the Catholic intellectual tradition." said President Cesareo. He went on to say, "This historic gift will support several key initiatives that will help Assumption College become a stronger and more distinctive academic institution."

According to President Cesareo, "part of the money will establish the Donald and Michele D'Amour Chair in the Catholic intellectual tradition."

A speakers program that plans to focus on Catholic tradition will also be started with the money.

"Their gift also endows a distinguished speakers program that will highlight aspects of the Catholic intellectual tradition, increase the endowment for the Fortin/Gontheir Foundations of Western Civilization Program, and establish a new faculty development grant fund," Cesareo explained.

President Cesareo said since the generous donation is the biggest in the College's history he looks forward to using it and says the gift itself will significantly impact the way Assumption donates and gives gifts as well.

"It's wonderful. This gift demonstrates that the D'Amours value the type of education that we are providing at Assumption College and sets a new standard for philanthropy at the College. Such a gift signals a tremendous investment in our mission, in our faculty, and in our students."

While President Cesareo values the gift, he says there is more meaning to it than just a donation.

"Both Don and Michele are deeply committed to strengthening the Catholic identity of the College, as well as its liberal arts core," he said. "They value the fact that Assumption continues to embrace its Catholic identity and seeks to preserve the integrity of its mission.