University of St. Thomas Athletics
Athletics Introduces the Tommie Athletic Fund, First Two Scholarships Secured
10/26/2020 2:00:00 PM | Baseball, Football, Athletics, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's Hockey, Men's Soccer, Men's Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Men's Track & Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Golf, Women's Hockey, Women's Soccer, Women's Swimming & Diving, Women's Tennis, Women's Track & Field, Volleyball
Integral to our Division I transition is the financial investment needed to provide St. Thomas student-athletes with the opportunities to pursue comprehensive excellence. With that in mind, the St. Thomas department of intercollegiate athletics is excited to announce the unveiling of the Tommie Athletic Fund, a new way for Tommie alumni and fans to support St. Thomas athletics. As part of this launch, the department is also grateful to announce its first two endowed scholarships: the Thomas W. Schultz and Ann Gray Harvey Scholarship for women's basketball and the Krupa/Coughlin Scholarship for men's basketball. With these and other key gifts, St. Thomas athletics has now received commitments in excess of $3 million year to date, giving the Tommies great momentum as we continue to move forward.
Developed as a strategic priority for St. Thomas athletics, the Tommie Athletic Fund features six key initiatives that will each play integral roles in funding opportunities for Tommie student-athletes to pursue sustained comprehensive excellence, each in its own way. These different initiatives include an annual giving program, endowed scholarship program, athletic advisory board, capital projects, sport-specific giving program, and alumni engagement.
"The launch of the Tommie Athletic Fund symbolizes our commitment to an investment in the holistic student-athlete experience, one that will impact their lives long beyond their time at St. Thomas," mentioned Vice President, Director of Athletics Phil Esten. "Critical to our comprehensive success are the various opportunities for our community to engage and support their journey. I want to extend my gratitude to both the Schultz and Luka families on their historic commitment to Tommie athletics and our student-athletes, and to Mike Lunenschloss for his matching gift. These exemplary gifts will provide sustainable support for student-athletes and serve as the foundation of our Forever Purple initiative and 1904 Club."
Named to honor and recognize the first year of intercollegiate athletics at St. Thomas, the 1904 Club is an annual opportunity for Tommie supporters to invest in the overall mission of the athletic department. This club supports both the academic and athletic success of its student-athletes. As a member, you receive unique opportunities never before offered at St. Thomas.
Another cornerstone of the structure, the Forever Purple initiative is the endowed scholarship program that directly impacts St. Thomas student-athletes. Individuals can contribute to the general athletic endowment to support student-athlete scholarships or create their own named scholarship and specify the exact sport they would like to support. These endowments are a lasting legacy of support for Tommie student-athletes that will provide academic support in perpetuity. The University of St. Thomas athletic department is excited to announce the first two such fully endowed scholarships that have been committed to as a part of this program: the Thomas W. Schultz and Ann Gray Harvey Scholarship for women's basketball and the Krupa/Coughlin Scholarship for men's basketball, both of which will be awarded for the 2021-22 competitive season.
Thomas Schultz ('71) and his wife Ann Gray Harvey are honored and excited to support the University of St. Thomas women's basketball program through the first ever women's basketball athletic scholarship, the Thomas W. Schultz and Ann Gray Harvey Scholarship. Tom graduated from St. Thomas Magna Cum Laude with an accounting degree and went on to have a long-distinguished career in health care management.
"We are so blessed to have received this generous scholarship opportunity for the women in our basketball program," stated Head Women's Basketball Coach Ruth Sinn. "Tom and Ann Gray are wonderful, caring people who serve others. They represent the St. Thomas mission to advance the common good. I look forward to partnering with them both to help the women in our program chase comprehensive excellence here at St. Thomas. Thank you, Tom and Ann Gray."
Thomas ('68) and Margaret Luka are excited to be able to support the St. Thomas men's basketball program with the first ever men's basketball athletic scholarship, the Krupa/Coughlin Scholarship. Tom is naming the scholarship in honor of his uncle, Joe Krupa, and Father Bernard Coughlin, who was St. Thomas' Athletic Director, when Tom was a student. Joe Krupa was a football standout at Purdue University and played defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe was a positive influence on Tom and strongly encouraged Tom to attend St. Thomas. Tom played on the St. Thomas men's basketball team while attending school from 1965-1968.
"We are incredibly grateful for the generous support of Tom and Margaret," said Head Men's Basketball Coach John Tauer. "Their gift will create a legacy that provides a building block as we make this historic transition from Division III to Division I. Our success over the years has been in part due to so many contributions, from our student-athletes to assistant coaches to alumni and families. We are thrilled to begin this transition with this incredibly altruistic pledge from the Lukas!"
The Summit Club serves as the primary advisory committee for the Vice President, Director of Athletics. This inaugural board will advise, support, and advance key initiatives as Tommie Athletics transitions from Division III to Division I.
Supporters will also have the opportunity to invest in capital projects as facility needs are presented. Likewise, alumni and fans can participate in sport-specific giving as part of the "Friends Of" program. Supporting this program allows coaches to go beyond their team's most basic needs and allocate funds towards helping to support special projects and other sport-specific initiatives in pursuit of comprehensive excellence.
The final initiative of the Tommie Athletic Fund is alumni engagement as we celebrate our proud past and look forward to our bright future. As part of this program, we invite alumni to celebrate with their teammates at alumni games and reunions and connect with the current team at competitions. Additionally, alumni will receive team-specific alumni newsletters, grow the Tommie network by participating in career development, and impact St. Thomas student-athletes with networking and mentoring, all while participating in other programs within the Tommie Athletic Fund.
As a part of the historic launch, another generous alumnus, Mike Lunenschloss ('74) has offered a matching gift challenge of $53,000 in honor of the number he wore while playing football for St. Thomas. Mike will generously match 1:1 every dollar raised in the first month of the launch, up to $53,000.
To learn more about the Tommie Athletic Fund and to make a gift today, visit our website using the link above.
Developed as a strategic priority for St. Thomas athletics, the Tommie Athletic Fund features six key initiatives that will each play integral roles in funding opportunities for Tommie student-athletes to pursue sustained comprehensive excellence, each in its own way. These different initiatives include an annual giving program, endowed scholarship program, athletic advisory board, capital projects, sport-specific giving program, and alumni engagement.
"The launch of the Tommie Athletic Fund symbolizes our commitment to an investment in the holistic student-athlete experience, one that will impact their lives long beyond their time at St. Thomas," mentioned Vice President, Director of Athletics Phil Esten. "Critical to our comprehensive success are the various opportunities for our community to engage and support their journey. I want to extend my gratitude to both the Schultz and Luka families on their historic commitment to Tommie athletics and our student-athletes, and to Mike Lunenschloss for his matching gift. These exemplary gifts will provide sustainable support for student-athletes and serve as the foundation of our Forever Purple initiative and 1904 Club."
Named to honor and recognize the first year of intercollegiate athletics at St. Thomas, the 1904 Club is an annual opportunity for Tommie supporters to invest in the overall mission of the athletic department. This club supports both the academic and athletic success of its student-athletes. As a member, you receive unique opportunities never before offered at St. Thomas.
Another cornerstone of the structure, the Forever Purple initiative is the endowed scholarship program that directly impacts St. Thomas student-athletes. Individuals can contribute to the general athletic endowment to support student-athlete scholarships or create their own named scholarship and specify the exact sport they would like to support. These endowments are a lasting legacy of support for Tommie student-athletes that will provide academic support in perpetuity. The University of St. Thomas athletic department is excited to announce the first two such fully endowed scholarships that have been committed to as a part of this program: the Thomas W. Schultz and Ann Gray Harvey Scholarship for women's basketball and the Krupa/Coughlin Scholarship for men's basketball, both of which will be awarded for the 2021-22 competitive season.
Thomas Schultz ('71) and his wife Ann Gray Harvey are honored and excited to support the University of St. Thomas women's basketball program through the first ever women's basketball athletic scholarship, the Thomas W. Schultz and Ann Gray Harvey Scholarship. Tom graduated from St. Thomas Magna Cum Laude with an accounting degree and went on to have a long-distinguished career in health care management.
"We are so blessed to have received this generous scholarship opportunity for the women in our basketball program," stated Head Women's Basketball Coach Ruth Sinn. "Tom and Ann Gray are wonderful, caring people who serve others. They represent the St. Thomas mission to advance the common good. I look forward to partnering with them both to help the women in our program chase comprehensive excellence here at St. Thomas. Thank you, Tom and Ann Gray."
Thomas ('68) and Margaret Luka are excited to be able to support the St. Thomas men's basketball program with the first ever men's basketball athletic scholarship, the Krupa/Coughlin Scholarship. Tom is naming the scholarship in honor of his uncle, Joe Krupa, and Father Bernard Coughlin, who was St. Thomas' Athletic Director, when Tom was a student. Joe Krupa was a football standout at Purdue University and played defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe was a positive influence on Tom and strongly encouraged Tom to attend St. Thomas. Tom played on the St. Thomas men's basketball team while attending school from 1965-1968.
"We are incredibly grateful for the generous support of Tom and Margaret," said Head Men's Basketball Coach John Tauer. "Their gift will create a legacy that provides a building block as we make this historic transition from Division III to Division I. Our success over the years has been in part due to so many contributions, from our student-athletes to assistant coaches to alumni and families. We are thrilled to begin this transition with this incredibly altruistic pledge from the Lukas!"
The Summit Club serves as the primary advisory committee for the Vice President, Director of Athletics. This inaugural board will advise, support, and advance key initiatives as Tommie Athletics transitions from Division III to Division I.
Supporters will also have the opportunity to invest in capital projects as facility needs are presented. Likewise, alumni and fans can participate in sport-specific giving as part of the "Friends Of" program. Supporting this program allows coaches to go beyond their team's most basic needs and allocate funds towards helping to support special projects and other sport-specific initiatives in pursuit of comprehensive excellence.
The final initiative of the Tommie Athletic Fund is alumni engagement as we celebrate our proud past and look forward to our bright future. As part of this program, we invite alumni to celebrate with their teammates at alumni games and reunions and connect with the current team at competitions. Additionally, alumni will receive team-specific alumni newsletters, grow the Tommie network by participating in career development, and impact St. Thomas student-athletes with networking and mentoring, all while participating in other programs within the Tommie Athletic Fund.
As a part of the historic launch, another generous alumnus, Mike Lunenschloss ('74) has offered a matching gift challenge of $53,000 in honor of the number he wore while playing football for St. Thomas. Mike will generously match 1:1 every dollar raised in the first month of the launch, up to $53,000.
To learn more about the Tommie Athletic Fund and to make a gift today, visit our website using the link above.
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