DePaul University Receives $2.5 Million Gift for Athletics Expansion

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A rendering of the proposed DePaul Athletics practice facility. (Courtesy of HNTB and Antunovich Associates)

DePaul University's commitment to raising its athletic programs to elite status in the BIG EAST Conference, and within the NCAA, is one big leap closer to realization thanks to Jennifer Steans and James Kastenholz.

​​A $2.5 million gift from the couple is initiating funding for a new, state-of-the-art basketball practice facility being planned on DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus. The project will be funded by donors such as Steans and Kastenholz, who are stepping forward to launch the effort.

"Thanks to the generosity and vision of Jen and Jim, we are reimagining the power of DePaul for the modern moment," DePaul University President Robert L. Manuel says. "The entire university will benefit from a vibrant athletics program that prioritizes success for student-athletes and elevates the visibility of our institution as a national leader in quality higher education."

The couple's dedication embraces DePaul's Vincentian mission to empower all communities through service and access to education. Their past giving to DePaul includes generous support for the John Horan Scholars Program, which provides assistance to students with financial need who are graduates of North Lawndale College Prep High School.

Steans is a DePaul Board of Trustees member, president and CEO of Financial Investments Corporation, and a trustee for The Steans Family Foundation, which supports education, employment, health and safety for under-resourced residents of Chicago's North Lawndale community and the north suburb of North Chicago. Her late father, Harrison I. Steans, was the primary benefactor of DePaul's Irwin W. Steans Center, founded in 2001, which connects students and faculty to service-learning education and opportunities with non-profit community partners across the Chicago metro area.

Kastenholz is CEO of Kastenholz Construction Services, a general contractor specializing in residential interiors, historic renovation and large-scale institutional expansion projects.

Transforming DePaul's athletics facilities is part of a philanthropic expansion announced in 2023 that also supports academic initiatives with an interdisciplinary focus. The athletics component also includes the recent modernization of the Sullivan Athletic Center and McGrath-Phillips Arena.

"Athletics holds tremendous value for DePaul, serving as a vehicle for national exposure, fostering connectivity with alumni, engaging with the Chicago community, and enhancing school spirit among our university community," DePaul Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy says. "Our facilities signal our seriousness and commitment to our student-athletes, and we are immensely grateful to Jennifer and Jim for their forward-thinking leadership and generosity."

The athletics facility will feature an exterior brick façade that mirrors the aesthetic of the Lincoln Park neighborhood and a pitched roof that pays homage to DePaul's former Lincoln Park arena, Alumni Hall, where the Blue Demon men's basketball team won nearly 300 games from 1956-1980.

Two DePaul Athletics coaches who will leverage the facility to build a championship mindset for student-athletes include women's basketball head coach Doug Bruno, a Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and Chris Holtmann, who was appointed head coach of the men's basketball program this past March. Holtmann previously served as head coach at Ohio State University.

"These investments, made possible by donors such as Jennifer and James, provide our student-athletes and coaches with the resources to recruit, develop, and compete at the highest levels of collegiate athletics," Holtmann says. "They show the nation DePaul's commitment to our student-athletes and signal a new era for the university, allowing us to grow into a national leader in yet another discipline."​