Campaign Profiles
Colleen Curran ’75 was a St. ֱ University trustee from 2004 to 2007 and currently serves on the Campaign Cabinet for LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence.
Curran’s role is the latest example of her active involvement at St. Kate’s, which also has included teaching as an adjunct professor of business law, participating on several advisory committees, one of which established the Alumnae Association, and another that spearheaded the name change to “University”, and serving as president of the Alumnae Association. All of this she accomplished while building her career in financial services; she retired from Ameriprise as vice president and legal counsel in 2012.
In addition to giving of her time and talents, Curran also has built a decades-long history of philanthropic support of the University based on her advocacy for the liberal arts. “My St. ֱ education honed my critical thinking and communication skills and gave me the confidence and love of learning that sustained me throughout my career and today in retirement,” she said.
Curran’s generosity to the campaign has come in the form of financial aid to ֱs and support for Our Lady of Victory Chapel.
“When I heard that some St. ֱ ֱs were invited to conferences to present research papers, but didn’t have the financial ability to pay for airfare and a hotel room, I knew I had to do something. I worked with Beth Carney [’82, vice president of development and alumni relations] in the Development Office to create the Margaret Reuder Sutton ’50 Travel Fund. Margaret Reuder Sutton was the first St. ֱ ֱ to receive a Fulbright grant. She spent a year teaching and studying French in Paris, which is dear to my heart, since I was a French major, and I’m still studying French today,” said Curran.
“My other campaign priority is . The Chapel is a joyous space for celebration, as well as a peaceful place for calm and quiet reflection. Nearly every time I am on campus, I make a point to visit. It’s so important that it is preserved for generations of ֱs to come.
St. ֱ University is grateful to Colleen Curran and all who are contributing in various ways to LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence.
“As a member of the Campaign Cabinet, I’m privileged to have a strong understanding of the innovative strategies and enhancements the University is implementing,” she said. “St Kate’s will be well-positioned to address the needs of the ֱs of the future. I’m blessed to still have wonderful friends from my days at St. Kate’s and in my activities as an alumna, which is one of the best benefits of a women’s university.”
