Artist’s rendition of the Lemieux Library after completion, courtesy Seattle University

On Thursday morning, Seattle University president Stephen Sundborg, SJ, announced the close of SU’s six-year long capital campaign. Over 21,000 donors exceeded the original goal of $150 million, giving the 110 year old academic institution the necessary funds to offer new scholarships to students, academic programs and professorships, a fitness complex, an arts center and more, including the $56 million Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons which are scheduled for completion next fall.

The successful campaign was focused on four main areas: scholarships, academic enhancements, facilities, and initiatives centered on the Jesuit university’s Catholic identity. More than 7,500 students are enrolled in Seattle’s largest private university which has eight schools offering graduate and undergraduate programs and was ranked as one of the top ten universities in the West by US News and World Report. (They also have some excellent sports teams.) Of the funds raised, $43 million are allocated to student scholarships and $44 million for academic programs and initiatives.

Since I’m a neighbor of SU, I can always take a short walk down the street to check out the progress on campus, but anyone curious to see how construction is going can check out their Library building webcam, which includes a link to construction bulletins for all the projects on campus. If you’ve never actually visited the university, however, I highly recommend it. It’s a beautiful campus with a lot of interesting architecture and landscape design, and the university hosts many events open to the public from sports to shows like Bloody Henry, a puppet show celebrating the 500th anniversary of “mass-murdering monarch” Henry VIII of England that plays weekends from September 25 through October 24.