A Record Night for the Benedictine College Scholarship Ball

Published: Monday, February 27, 2017

Scholarship Ball 2017 Fund-a-Raven

Annually one of the largest and most successful fundraising events in the Kansas City metropolitan area, the Scholarship Ball again set records for both attendance and funds raised. More than 830 alumni and friends of the college were in attendance and they raised over $850,000. Emceed by John Holt, news anchor at Fox4 television, the night featured a special 50th Anniversary celebration for the 1967 National Championship Basketball Team and the presentation of the Cross of the Order of St. Benedict to Robert ’63 and Shirley ’63 Chenoweth and Sean ’82 and Julie ’86 Doherty.

(Click here for the Scholarship Ball main page.) 

“Thanks to our event co-chairs, Lene Westerman and Patrick and Kate Carr, we have had a record night,” said Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis. The night also featured a record Fund-A-Raven event, bringing in more than $600,000 including a $300,000 challenge match.

In his state-of-the-college address, Minnis talked about Benedictine’s success in the past year.

“We have had a fantastic year at the college,” he said. “It goes all the way back to Commencement when Cardinal (Timothy) Dolan (Archbishop of New York) was our Commencement speaker and he provided our theme this year: A Dream. A Dare. For Greatness.”

He noted that the school saw record enrollment in the 2016-2017 academic year, with 1,922 full-time undergraduates. He also said the college enrolled 600 new students, the largest incoming group in its history.

“Our history is not a story of a mediocre, cynical, faithless people,” Minnis said. “It is a story of faith-filled men and women who looked forward, always forward, everywhere forward to dream great dreams and dare to push this institution and its students to new heights.”

He went on to mention the new additions on campus, including the new Murphy Recreation Center, the statue of St. Teresa of Calcutta outside the Mother Teresa Nursing Center, the Raven Memorial Park and the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue, and the expansion and renovation of the Westerman Hall Science and Engineering building. He also noted that the mechanical engineering program within that facility earned ABET accreditation this year.

“We believe that faith, morality and ethics are just as important in the sciences as in every other part of our lives,” Minnis said.  “And that is why it is so important to train future doctors, engineers and scientists in a place like Benedictine College that understands the essential role of faith, morality and ethics in the sciences.”

In other academic news, President Minnis pointed out that Benedictine College is one of only three colleges named within the Top 20 by both U.S. News & World Report and the Cardinal Newman Society’s Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.

Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas.  The school is proud to have been named one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report as well as one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and the Newman Guide.  It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging.  It has a mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.

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