Georgetown University Gets Record Gift for Sports: $50 Million

Georgetown University received a $50 million gift that “will support an innovative leadership program for the university’s 750 student-athletes and fund the completion of the sports field situated in the heart of campus,” the university announced last week.
The record donation for the athletics program is one of the biggest ever for the school and comes from Peter and Susan Cooper of Newport Beach, California, parents of five children, all of whom are Georgetown alumni. The Coopers’s son-in-law also went to Georgetown.

“Georgetown is deeply grateful to Peter and Sue for their commitment to our students and their ongoing dedication to our campus community,” said John DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, “This investment will allow us to provide extraordinary opportunities for students engaged in intercollegiate athletics, preparing these young people for success both on and off the field.”

According to the university, “the historic gift will underwrite a pioneering, academically based program that develops leadership skills and opportunities for students involved in one or more of Georgetown’s 29 Division I sports and teams.

“The gift also will enable the university to further develop the centrally located Multi-Sport Field that is currently home to Georgetown’s football, field hockey and lacrosse teams, as well as club sports and university-wide events.

“As permanent recognition of the Coopers’ generosity, the three-year-old student-athlete leadership initiative will be named the Cooper Athletics Leadership Program and the existing Multi-Sport Field will be renamed Cooper Field when it is completed in an estimated 12 to 18 months.”