Loyola University Maryland announced it received a $3 million gift from Kelly Bryan Rizzo (Class of 1998) and Dan Rizzo (Class of 1999) that will help strengthen student career development and faculty formation.
The gift will establish the Rizzo Family Internship Coordinator, the Rizzo Family Fund for Faculty and Staff Formation and the Rizzo Family Career Center Faculty Fellows program. The university expects the initiatives to expand opportunities for students to gain professional experience before graduation and empower faculty to strengthen their connection to Loyola’s mission and engage with the Rizzo Career Center.
“Dan and Kelly exemplify the ‘strong truths well lived’ by our graduates,” said Loyola President Terrence M. Sawyer in a news release. “Their generous and thoughtful support of Loyola, and in particular the Rizzo Career Center, strengthens the university and ensures our students are well equipped to lead lives of success and significance.”
The Rizzos have a history of philanthropic support and leadership engagement with Loyola. During the university’s “Bright Minds, Bold Hearts” campaign, they pledged $2 million to name the Rizzo Career Center within the Miguel B. Fernandez Family Center for Innovation and Collaborative Learning. Their latest gift builds upon that commitment.
The Rizzo Family Internship Coordinator will staff a position within the office of the Rizzo Career Center. The internship coordinator will identify and match Loyola students with meaningful internship opportunities to better position students for professional careers after graduation.
“Having someone dedicated to ensuring that the best internship opportunities out there are known to our students – and that Loyola is known to those companies – ensures that our students have the best experience,” said Dan Rizzo in the news release. “They get a tremendous experience in the classroom, and we want to make sure they get it out of the classroom.”
The Rizzos see internships as integral to that success after leaving Loyola.
“For students who may not have been exposed to business opportunities or different work environments growing up, internships are key,” said Kelly Rizzo in the news release. “They help students understand what their opportunities are and where their passions lie.”
The Rizzo Family Fund for Faculty and Staff Formation will support faculty and staff formation programs to grow and enhance the Catholic identity and culture of Loyola. The fund will enable faculty to participate in programs such as the AJCU Ignatian Colleagues Program, the AJCU Ignatian Leadership Seminar, and employee retreats. Advancing faculty formation is a priority of Together We Rise: Loyola University Maryland’s Strategic Plan for 2030.
“Faculty are the bridge to our students. They’re the ones who build the relationships and make the impact,” said Dan Rizzo. “When faculty keep the mission front and center, the rest will follow.”
A portion of the gift will also support the Rizzo Family Career Center Faculty Fellows program, which will provide stipends and program costs for engaging faculty in the Rizzo Career Center.
Kelly and Dan were married in Loyola’s Alumni Memorial Chapel in 2000 and live in Anne Arundel County with their son. Dan and Kelly Rizzo have each been honored with Loyola’s Carroll Medal, which recognizes distinguished alumni for noteworthy and meritorious service on the university’s behalf.
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