A nearly $500,000 estate gift from alumna and longtime trustee Dr. Marian A. Swope
’69 will endow and name Bellarmine University’s Counseling Center.
The gift provides enduring support for student well-being while helping the university
surpass the $60 million mark in its $75 million comprehensive campaign – Honoring
the Past, Shaping the Future – that celebrates Bellarmine’s 75th anniversary.
The newly named Dr. Marian A. Swope Counseling Center demonstrates Bellarmine’s commitment to students’ mental and emotional health in
memory of Swope, who died in 2024 at age 76. The center offers free, confidential
counseling services to all enrolled students and serves as a vital hub for wellness
education and prevention programming.
Dr. Helen-Grace Ryan, vice president for student affairs, reflected on Dr. Swope’s
lifelong dedication to the care of others. “Marian gave tirelessly to others with
little fanfare. In the midst of a great accomplishment, you’d be hard-pressed to get
more than her humble and unforgettable smile,” Ryan said. “She poured her whole heart
into her chosen field of psychiatry for more than 30 years as an educator and practicing
physician, and into the Bellarmine Board of Trustees for nearly the same amount of
time. Her unmatched dedication and legacy of holistically caring for others will continue
through this remarkable gift.”
After graduating from Bellarmine in 1969 and later earning a medical degree from the
University of Kentucky, Swope’s professional career spanned more than three decades
as a psychiatrist, educator, and mentor. Her compassion and quiet leadership made
her one of the most respected voices among Bellarmine’s trustees, where she served
faithfully for nearly 30 years beginning in 1995. Through her generosity, future generations
of Knights will continue to find the compassionate guidance and care that defined
her life’s work.
Swope was inducted into Bellarmine’s Gallery of Distinguished Graduates in 1994 and
received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the university in 2015.
She was named Bellarmine’s Alumnus of the Year in 2021.
“When we launched this campaign on October 3, we announced that Bellarmine had already
raised more than $50 million,” said Dr. Susan M. Donovan, Bellarmine’s president.
“Just weeks later, we learned the extent of Dr. Swope’s extraordinary generosity through
her estate to her alma mater. Combined with the enthusiasm we’re seeing from donors
across the country through gifts of all sizes, this gift has helped propel us past
the $60 million mark.”
The $75 million comprehensive campaign, launched as part of Bellarmine’s 75th anniversary
celebration, supports four strategic priorities: Student Success, Catholic Identity
& Mission, Workforce Impact, and Athletics Excellence, all supported by a strong academic
foundation. The campaign ensures access and opportunity for students while strengthening
the university’s impact across the region.
Scott Self, Bellarmine’s vice president for development and alumni relations, praised
the momentum donors are bringing to the campaign, noting that gifts of all sizes –
from scholarships and endowed funds to smaller annual gifts – have accelerated as
the end of the tax year approaches. “We communicated a compelling case for how donors
can shape Bellarmine’s future, and they have responded with incredible enthusiasm,”
said Self.
To learn more about Bellarmine’s 75th anniversary campaign and opportunities to support,
visit www.bellarmine.edu/75.