PrintNotre Dame Pays for Picking Obama
The idea of choosing Barack Obama for graduation speaker, and for giving Obama an honorary degree, may cost the University more than just prestige. The decision may cost Notre Dame millions of dollars in contributions from alumni.
As I have reported here in American Thinker, Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon has already refused to share the stand with Obama. She turned down Notre Dame’s highest honor, the Laetare Medal, in protest of the honorary doctorate to be bestowed upon President Obama.
AT has also reported serious reservations by the vast majority of alumni about Notre Dame’s decision to honor Obama. We have published the fact that some prominent Catholic clergy will not attend the event.
Now an alumni website is reporting that Notre Dame may have lost nearly $10 million dollars in one week from alumni who object to the University inviting Obama to speak and in granting him an honorary degree. An email from the organization Catholic Vote verified the figure.
According to the website:
The website ReplaceJenkins.com has received over 900 pledges from alumni and donors promising to withhold future donations. Several of the largest gifts include estate bequests to the University that have been removed from donors’ wills. ReplaceJenkins.com organizers have personally confirmed a majority of the largest donations, and continue to verify the validity of millions of additional gifts.
ReplaceJenkins.com spokesperson David DiFranco (Class of ‘95) commented: “We knew many donors and alums were unhappy with the decision to honor a pro-abortion president, but we never expected this large of a response. We can hardly keep up, and this is only the beginning. We can only imagine what fundraisers at the University are experiencing, but understandably not reporting."
Go fighting Irish!
Hat tip: My wife
