Boston College (BC) has announced a $25 million gift from alumni Charles “Chuck” Clough Jr., (’64) and his wife, Gloria Clough (MDiv ‘90, MS ’96), in support of its theology and ministry school.

One of the largest gifts ever to a school of theology, divinity, or religious studies will name the Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry (STM). Longtime benefactors of BC, Gloria is a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist, and Chuck is the chair and chief investment officer of Clough Capital Partners and has served as a trustee or trustee associate for BC since 1994. Previous gifts from the couple established the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy and the Clough Colloquium in the Carroll School of Management.

“In so many ways, Gloria and Chuck Clough represent everything the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry stands for: a deep faith; a commitment to the Catholic Church over so many years of change, crisis, and renewal; an understanding of the importance of theological education; and a personal experience of ecclesial ministry,” said STM dean Fr. Michael McCarthy. “Their many virtues are so evident to me, as well as their real vision for the school’s contribution to the church in years to come. Not only am I grateful for them and this amazing gift, I am proud that their name will grace our school.” 

“My desire for the church is for laypeople to play a bigger role in helping it to be more open,” said Gloria Clough. “The STM is a place where Jesuits, religious, and laypeople are formed side by side in a vibrant, loving community. It creates a context in which these diverse groups of people come together and learn from one another. The School of Theology and Ministry gives me such hope for the church and its future because of the critical work that goes on here.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/SeventyFour)