John Jay College Of Criminal Justice | The City University of New York

   

One year ahead of schedule, John Jay’s Campaign for the Future of Justice has reached its $50-million fundraising goal, President Jeremy Travis announced March 11.

“Nine years ago, our Board of Trustees and the College launched our first-ever capital campaign with the ambitious goal of raising $50 million by the College’s 50th anniversary,” President Travis noted. “At the time, the goal seemed like a stretch, requiring our full energy and attention, but we have done it!”

The capital campaign was propelled across the goal line by a grant of nearly $3 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to John Jay’s Research & Evaluation Center. The funds will be used for a two-year initiative to assess the effectiveness and outcomes of the “Cure Violence” model of gun-violence reduction.

President Travis said of the campaign’s success: “This reflects a vote of confidence in the faculty at John Jay, who have reached new heights in scholarly productivity. It reflects a vote of confidence in our alumni, who are inspired to give and support their alma mater. It reflects the aspiration that the business and civic community would rally ’round and recognize the unique value of John Jay and invest in our students and faculty.”

The capital campaign succeeded on the strength of gifts large and small, President Travis noted. “There was the pacesetting leadership gift of $2 million from Lynn and Jules Kroll to open the campaign,” he said, “the record-setting alumni gift of $5 million from Anya and Andrew Shiva, and full participation from our committed Board of Trustees, who have collectively pledged $10.1 million. The campaign also included a gratifying level of alumni giving, highlighted by the popular Jay Walk paver campaign, and staunch support from our faculty.”

Another important factor in the campaign’s success was a significant increase in research grants coming into the College, on topics ranging from mobile phone network security to the impact of stop, question and frisk tactics on crime rates to promoting undergraduate research, according to President Travis.

“But most importantly for our long-term future,” the President emphasized, “these gifts, grants and other forms of support are investments in our students.”
Planning for events to mark John Jay’s 50th anniversary throughout the 2014-2015 academic year are now well underway, including a convocation featuring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. “As we stand on the threshold of celebrating this milestone, I look forward to the next chapter in our marvelous story” said President Travis, “and a key component of our celebration will be continued efforts to seek the support of friends of the College to carry out our important mission.”

For the President’s announcement about the campaign, click here.