Loyola’s second $10 million gift will enhance programs in sciences, risk management

Loyola University Maryland announced Dec. 15 it has received a $10 million commitment from Ellen and H. Edward Hanway. The gift, which is the second eight-figure donation in the university’s history, will support the renovation and expansion of the college’s Donnelly Science Center and create the Loyola Nursing Leadership Scholars. It will also establish the Hanway Endowed Professorship in Risk Management and the Hanway Risk Management Experiential Learning Fund. 

Ed Hanway, who graduated from Loyola in 1974, served as a trustee and was formerly the chairman of the university’s board. He spent his entire career in the insurance industry, including as the former CEO and board chairman of Cigna Corp. He and his wife, Ellen, are long-time supporters of Loyola, and both received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from the university in 2014. 

“Loyola has been a major part of my family’s life for many years. I attended Loyola, as did my son. My respect for the institution has only grown,” Ed Hanway said in a university media release. “Loyola is an educational institution that truly focuses on developing students to be thinkers, not just learners. We wanted to be sure that Loyola would have the resources to continue to evolve, meet the needs of its students, and meet the needs of the world.”

The Hanways also previously made a $5.2 million gift that was then the largest in Loyola’s history. Their philanthropic contributions over the years make up the largest from a donor in the university’s history. 

“Ellen and Ed Hanway have a tremendous and longstanding record of leadership, philanthropy, and engagement with Loyola, and this historic gift is one of many ways in which the Hanways are helping to boldly shape the University’s future,” said Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., president of Loyola, in a media release. “I am truly grateful for their unwavering commitment to our students and faculty, and for their dedication to strengthening the Loyola community.”

In 2019, the Hanways made a $1 million gift to support the construction of the Miguel B. Fernandez Family Center for Innovation and Collaborative Learning, which opened in 2021. Their past contributions have established Loyola’s Global Studies program and endowed faculty chair, bolstered the York Road Initiative, created the Hanway Lecture in Global Studies, helped launch Messina (Loyola’s program for first-year students), and provided resources for faculty research and student scholarships.

The Loyola Nursing Leadership Scholars fund will provide scholarships to top-performing senior nursing students at Loyola by supplementing the endowed Loyola Scholarship/Mercy Grant Program. Growing health and STEM is a priority of Together We Rise: Loyola University Maryland’s Strategic Plan for 2030.

The Hanways’ gift will also contribute to the 18,200-square-foot addition and renovation of the Donnelly Science Center. The project, which broke ground in the summer of 2024, involves an addition – which will open in spring 2026 – and a complete interior renovation of the four-story building. The future Donnelly Science Center is scheduled to be ready in time for spring 2027 and will offer state-of-the-art facilities to the current programs it houses, including the university’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, which launched in fall 2025.

The Hanways’ gift will support the expansion of academic majors within the university’s Sellinger School of Business and Management, which will begin offering a Bachelor of Science in Financial Risk Management and Insurance in fall 2026. Hanway – who is the board chairman for Marsh Corp., a global professional services firm specializing in risk and strategy – understands the importance of risk management and insurance in the modern economy, and the demand for well-trained graduates.

The Hanway Endowed Professorship in Risk Management will empower the university to recruit and retain a distinguished faculty member in the field of risk management. The gift covers salary, research and professional development opportunities for the position.

The Hanway Risk Management Experiential Learning Fund will support students preparing for careers in financial services and risk management, including the insurance industry, with rich and rigorous curricular and co-curricular experiences taught by expert faculty. The fund will also provide students with the opportunity to benefit from numerous experiential learning opportunities.

An additional portion of the Hanways’ commitment will provide general operational and scholarship support to the University.

Ed Hanway retired from Cigna in 2009 after more than 30 years with the company. An accounting major at Loyola, he is a former member of the board of directors of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). He is also a past chairman of the Council on Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) and has been active in a wide range of issues and initiatives associated with children’s health and education. He serves on the board of trustees of Drexel Neumann Academy and was the chairman of the Faith in the Future Foundation committed to growth of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

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