Historic Gift FAQs
St. Louis philanthropists Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield have made a $50 million gift to Saint Louis University to accelerate SLU’s rise as a world-class research university.
How does the Sinquefield gift compare to other gifts?
The Sinquefields’ $50 million gift to SLU is the largest gift in the University’s
200-year history. It follows a record-setting $98.6 million in gifts to SLU in fiscal
year 2017-18. The second-largest gift in history -- $30 million -- came from the Doisy
family for construction of the Doisy Research Center.
What will the historic gift fund?
The Sinquefield gift will fund a new Saint Louis University Research Institute that
will grow the scale and eminence of the University’s research and scholarship. It
will also establish a new Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research and provide
annual support to SLU’s chess team.
How are the Sinquefields connected to SLU?
Rex Sinquefield is a Saint Louis University alumnus who earned his bachelor’s degrees
in philosophy and business at SLU; Rex Sinquefield is also a current member of the
University’s Board of Trustees. He and his wife Jeanne have contributed to SLU in
the past, including generously supporting a dual MA(Ed)/MBA program.
How will this gift impact research at SLU?
The new Saint Louis University Research Institute established by the Sinquefield gift
will:
- Create a critical mass of highly productive researchers
- Invest in priority research areas
- Launch a growth fund designated to promoting research experiences for undergraduate students.
How will the Sinquefield gift impact faculty?
Among other initiatives tied to this gift, SLU will create research institute fellowships
for early, mid-career and highly accomplished senior faculty. Faculty also will be
encouraged to propose and pursue multi-disciplinary research programs that build upon
SLU’s existing strengths and have the potential to achieve significant impact. The
institute will award $50,000-$100,000 planning grants to promising proposals.
What is the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research?
The Sinquefields’ gift will also launch the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic
Research and will fund a new director position, the Sinquefield Professor of Economics,
to lead the Center. Housed within the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business, the
new center will conduct research grounded in applied economics or the study of economic
theories in practice.
What impact will the gift have on student research?
A portion of the growth fund through the Saint Louis University Research Institute's
will be designated to promoting research experiences for undergraduate students, including
opportunities for ambitious capstone projects. In addition, the engagement of undergraduate
students as collaborators will be encouraged as part of faculty planning grants funded
by this gift.
Will this gift fund scholarships?
A portion of the Sinquefields’ gift will support SLU’s chess team, helping to fund
student scholarships and player travel to tournaments, among other priorities to advance
the University’s chess program.
Will this gift fund new buildings or facilities?
No changes to campus infrastructure are planned to be funded using the Sinquefield
gift. The new research institute established by the gift will, however, fund the acquisition
of additional resources, such as instrumentation, equipment and technology that are
critical to conducting and advancing leading-edge research.