Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles has announced a $25 million matching gift from the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation toward expansion of the Frank R. Seaver College of Science and Engineering.

The largest capital gift in university history, as well as the largest gift from a living donor, will help fund construction of the Engineering Innovation Complex that will include best-in-class facilities for research, learning, and discovery. A portion of the complex will be named the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey STEM Center, which will include classrooms, laboratories, offices, and community spaces.

Thomas E. Leavey, who died in 1980, was a co-founder of Farmers Insurance and established the foundation in 1956; he served as a member of the Marymount College Regents. His daughter, Kathleen McCarthy Kostlan, served on the LMU board of directors for more than 30 years and his granddaughter, Kathleen McCarthy Duncan, is currently serving her second term. Both women are trustees of the foundation.

“This is an inspiring gift from a family who has been a partner to LMU for more than 80 years,” said LMU vice president for university advancement Peter Wilch. “The family’s unwavering commitment to the university, exemplified today by this generous matching challenge from the foundation, positions us for greater strides in STEM innovation for generations to come.”

(Photo credit: Wikimedia/Mishigaki)