By Brian Zahn, New Haven Register Staff Writer

Sep 19, 2025

Albertus Magnus College, which was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Peace as the first residential women's Catholic college in the Northeast 100 years ago, announced it has raised $25 million of a $40 million fundraising goal as part of a drive connected to its "Forever Albertus" centennial fundraising campaign.

President Marc Camille called it "the largest and most ambitious comprehensive fundraising campaign in the college’s history" and said the college had reached its goal during the campaign's silent phase. He said the $25 million included eight separate private gifts totaling $1 million or more, state Community Investment Funds of roughly $3 million that were applied to renovating the turf field and track and some federal money.

"For me, it just affirms that what we stand for at Albertus, and who we educate, resonates with, of course, our alumni and alumnae donor base, but (also) friends of the college and foundations,” Camille said.

Camille said the funds would help support the college's ambitions to grow and expand its academic offerings, specifically emphasizing the nursing and science programs. He said building out these departments and others would likely necessitate an expansion of its on-campus residential capacity.

"We’re bucking a lot of national and even regional trends in terms of our undergraduate program continuing to grow, but it brings with it increasing pressures for housing," Camille said. "It could be in the next couple years that we will have to be able to expand capacity to house students who want to come to Albertus."

He said funding will also be used for critical upgrades to existing buildings, including the main classroom building, which is roughly 60 years old, and the campus natatorium.

Camille said funding will also be set aside for scholarships "to continue our commitment of education access" and to deepen support for faculty.

"It is affirming and really nourishing that an institution rooted in character building and Dominican Catholic values around the whole person and as an institution that is absolutely committed to access and opportunity, it has been moving for me that people are responding in the way they do,” he said

Brian Zahn is a reporter with the New Haven Register. Brian covers all things West Haven. Since September 2015, he has worked for the Register, where he has spent most of his time writing about schools and education.