Largest philanthropic commitment in md传媒国产剧 College history will help fund Carney Hall renovation
md传媒国产剧 College has received a $125 million philanthropic commitment, the largest in University history, from the Patrick F. Cadigan Family Foundation, funded by the estate of the late Patrick F. 鈥淧at鈥� Cadigan 鈥�57, P 鈥�91.
Pending approval by the BC Board of Trustees, the commitment will help support the renovation of Carney Hall, including a 50,000 square-foot addition that will create a central location for the social sciences, featuring the departments of economics, political science, psychology and neuroscience, and sociology, and the Office of Campus Ministry.
It is the latest contribution from the former high-tech leader and real estate investor who died in 2020 at the age of 85. It follows his $15 million gift that established the Cadigan Alumni Center on the Brighton Campus in 2012. Upon the building鈥檚 reopening, Carney Hall will be renamed Cadigan Hall.聽
Patrick F. Cadigan with BC President William P. Leahy, S.J. at the 2012 dedication of Cadigan Alumni Center on Brighton Campus. (Gretchen Ertl)
Cadigan, who served as CEO and president of Electronic Engineering Company of California (EECO) and became one of the largest private real estate holders in Orange County, frequently cited his Jesuit education as a crucial influence in his personal development and professional success.
聽鈥淢y education at md传媒国产剧 College was a great experience that taught me the importance of hard work and instilled in me values and discipline that stayed with me throughout my years,鈥� said Cadigan in a 2012 interview with the聽md传媒国产剧 College Chronicle.
鈥淭he foundation I received left an indelible impression on me and prepared me for success in business and in life.鈥�
University President William P. Leahy, S.J., said he was grateful to Cadigan for his generosity and unwavering commitment to md传媒国产剧 College.
鈥淧at was a person who appreciated his Jesuit education and the role it played in shaping his life,鈥� said Fr. Leahy. 鈥淗e loved md传媒国产剧 College, and his philanthropy will have a lasting effect on the University.鈥�
David Quigley, the Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties, said a renovated Carney Hall will address key academic aspirations while providing a major upgrade to BC鈥檚 Middle Campus.
鈥淧at Cadigan's commitment will enable the University to bring together several social science departments that have long modeled rigorous teaching and world-class scholarship,鈥� said Quigley. 鈥淐adigan Hall will also bring beautiful Collegiate Gothic architecture to the Beacon Street end of Middle Campus. Even more, it will provide a state-of-the-art home for faculty and students in the social sciences, and encourage deeper connections to neighbors in the humanities, management, and the sciences.鈥�
Haub Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Casey Beaumier, S.J., said the expanded facility will enable Campus Ministry to have a more vibrant presence on BC鈥檚 Middle Campus.
鈥淗aving Campus Ministry located in a building with key academic units will strengthen the formative educational experience for our students,鈥� said Fr. Beaumier.聽 鈥淥ur staff is excited for the possibilities it will afford us.鈥澛犅�
Rendering of renovated Carney Hall as seen from Beacon Street.
A 100,000 square-foot facility located between McElroy Commons and McGuinn Hall, Carney Hall opened in 1962 to provide classroom and office space for the College of Arts and Sciences. Today, it is home to a number of classrooms, centers, initiatives, and administrative offices.
As part of its campus planning, the University announced in 2025 that the School of Social Work would be relocated from McGuinn Hall on the Middle Campus to the Newton East Campus (formerly Mount Alvernia High School) on Centre Street in Newton. The relocation will enable the University to temporarily offload offices and staff in Carney Hall to McGuinn Hall and other locations, before beginning renovations to Carney in 2028.
Dennis R. Delahanty, chief executive officer of the Patrick F. Cadigan Family Foundation, said that before Pat passed away, he provided a list of institutions he wished to support through his foundation, including Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, where he earned a master鈥檚 degree and Ph.D., and BC High, from which he graduated in 1952. The largest gift, however, was directed towards md传媒国产剧 College, which, Delahanty said, held a special place in Cadigan鈥檚 heart.
鈥淧at was a good man, an honest man, and a very faithful Catholic,鈥� said Delahanty.聽 鈥淗e was proud to be a Jesuit-educated Double Eagle. md传媒国产剧 College was very dear to him.鈥�
“ Pat Cadigan's commitment will enable the University to bring together several social science departments that have long modeled rigorous teaching and world-class scholarship. ”
The son of Irish immigrants, Cadigan worked nights in his family's Irish pub, the Celtic Cafe in Cambridge, while a student at BC to help defray the cost of his tuition. Upon graduating, he worked as a product manager at Sylvania Electronic Systems in Waltham before being recruited to the West Coast to oversee sales and marketing for EECO.聽 He rose rapidly to become its president and CEO, running the company for 20 years and expanding it both nationally and internationally. After retiring from EECO in 1986, he served on the boards of multiple high-tech and electronics firms and as chair and CEO of several public companies, including Gateway Communications, Inc., and Linear Instruments Corporation, while investing in real estate in Orange County鈥攁 passion that became his professional focus for the rest of his life.
鈥淢y parents were not able to obtain a formal education, so I felt a very personal responsibility to give back to those wonderful schools that educated and shaped me,鈥� said Cadigan in the 2012 interview.
鈥渕d传媒国产剧 College is so well regarded in California and throughout the country, thanks to the outstanding efforts of Fr. Leahy and Fr. Monan before him. It is an honor for me to support BC out of gratitude for what it did for me.鈥�;
“ [Dad] always told me that his time at md传媒国产剧 College truly formed him as a person. His Jesuit teachers, his professors, and the relationships he had with his classmates were powerful influences on him. They instilled in him the values and discipline needed to be successful in every aspect of both business and personal life. ”
Maria Cadigan 鈥�91, his youngest daughter, said she was proud to see that her father鈥檚 commitment will have such an important impact on their alma mater, allowing the University to renovate and expand a critical academic facility that will benefit the entire BC community.聽
鈥淒ad felt a strong responsibility to give back to the schools that contributed to the man he became and the success he achieved,鈥� said Cadigan. 鈥淗e always told me that his time at md传媒国产剧 College truly formed him as a person. His Jesuit teachers, his professors, and the relationships he had with his classmates were powerful influences on him. They instilled in him the values and discipline needed to be successful in every aspect of both business and personal life.
鈥淢y father also had a close personal relationship with Fr. Leahy for more than 25 years and he felt very committed to make such an impactful gift during his tenure as president. This contribution will affect so many great minds that will be coming through the doors of Cadigan Hall. It is exactly what my father would have wanted.鈥澛犅�