John Carroll University’s momentum continued today with the announcement of a $5 million gift from the Boler Family Foundation in support of the institution’s Inspired Futures strategy. The gift will fund the “Go National” portion of the strategy which focuses on extending the University’s brand footprint and enrollment reach beyond its Midwest roots.
The Boler Family Foundation is a Chicago-based charitable organization that supports education, healthcare, autism, and community.
“The value of John Carroll University’s education and the strength of our mission and brand has been demonstrated by our incredible students and successful alumni for 138 years,” said Alan R. Miciak, Ph.D., president. “This gift from the Boler Family Foundation will enable us to accelerate our enrollment growth beyond the Midwest and showcase the power of a John Carroll education to students in new geographic markets. It adds to the already incredible legacy built by the late John Boler ’56, whose impact on John Carroll’s success across the last half century cannot be overstated. We are grateful to the Boler family for continuing to believe in the future of John Carroll.”
The Boler family’s legacy at John Carroll began with the late John Boler ’56, who served for more than 20 years on the institution’s board of directors while leading the Boler Company. John and his wife, Mary Jo (Lombardo) Boler, are the namesakes of the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business, a globally recognized business school with dual AACSB accreditation. The family has also supported many other important initiatives at John Carroll, including scholarships, leadership roles, capital projects, and the D.J. Lombardo Student Center, named in honor of Mary Jo’s father.
“We continue to honor our father’s legacy and commitment to John Carroll University with this gift,” said Judy (Boler) McCormack, trustee of the Boler Family Foundation. “We believe “Go National” will be a game changer in reaching new students and creating new opportunities at the university. We hope others will be inspired to join us in this investment.”
The “Go National” work is already showing a return, with Fall 2024 enrollment up 8%, the largest overall enrollment in five years, and more than double the number of transfer students choosing John Carroll. The University expects to welcome an even larger class in Fall 2025, with early enrollment deposits significantly outpacing any of the past five years.
“Our enrollment growth is a testament to the strong core of students we continue to recruit from Northeast Ohio, Western New York, Western Pennsylvania, and Chicago,” said Carolyn Noll Sorg, Vice President for Enrollment & Marketing at John Carroll. “This generous gift from the Boler Family Foundation is the catalyst to grow that core beyond our traditional markets. At the same time, it allows us to invest in our campus experience to ensure we are a destination for students beyond the Midwest.”
The gift from the Boler Family Foundation continues the momentum created by strategic investments in the student experience at John Carroll including the construction of an Athletics, Wellness & Event Center, renovations to multiple residence halls and the D.J. Lombardo Student Center, enhancements to the Grasselli Library and Breen Learning Center including the Mastrantoni Family Student Success Commons, the launch of a College of Health and Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, and the grand opening of the high-fidelity Nader Family Foundation Nursing lab and a separate low-fidelity nursing lab.
John Carroll has received 17 gifts of more than $1 million since 2021.