February 28, 2011
When St. John’s University unveiled its state-of-the-art
D’Angelo Center in December 2009, Michael Brady ’86C was blown
away.
“Quite frankly, it makes me wish I were still a student,” he
joked. “I’ve never seen such an attractive building on a college
campus, not to mention one so comfortable and accommodating for
student organizations.”
A
dedicated and engaged student during the 1980s, Brady has been
working as the Major Gift Officer for St. John’s College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences since 2008. He also raises support for the
D’Angelo Center and uses the new building as an additional way to
solicit financial gifts from alumni and friends.
Brady is no stranger to getting involved on campus and knows
firsthand how important the D’Angelo Center is for student life. He
served as President of Student Government, Inc. during his senior
year in 1985-86 and was a member of the Mixed Chorus, an
Orientation Advisor and a brother of Sigma Chi Beta fraternity.
“That’s one thing St. John’s has always been very good at,” he
said. “It encourages students to pursue their talents. Back in the
’80s, as a commuter school, student activities were important in a
slightly different way. One thing that’s consistent from then to
now, though, is that we have so many different communities of
students and traditions that continue to thrive.”
Academics are another important aspect of the St. John’s
experience, and Brady works on a daily basis to assist the various
departments within St. John’s College, ensuring that they provide
the best and most affordable education possible. He works with
alumni and friends to establish endowed scholarships, fund travel
opportunities for students to attend lectures across the country
and bring prestigious guest speakers to campus.
“St. John’s College is actually the founding college here,
dating back to 1870,” Brady noted. “So it’s a very important aspect
of our school and its storied history. I look at the college in as
holistic a way as possible, crystallizing and prioritizing the
needs of each area and identifying alumni who had a great
experience here, who served as student leaders and want to come
back and help our current students.”
Brady brings a wealth of fundraising experience to his job at
St. John’s. He worked with the Bank of New York shortly after
graduating in 1986 and eventually transitioned to a fundraising
position with Community Counseling Services. He returned to St.
John’s in 1990 to work for the Department of Student Life, serving
as the Advisor for Greek Life and overseeing fraternities and
sororities. Brady later worked as a consultant for Catholic
parishes in the New York metropolitan area. Prior to returning to
St. John’s, he worked in development for six years at Long Island
University.
“My position with LIU reminded me how much I enjoy higher
education,” he said. “So when alma mater came calling in 2008, I
gladly returned.”
Brady has seen the transformation of St. John’s over the last 26
years, as both a student leader and an administrator. He’s seen the
student body grow into a healthy mix of commuter and resident
students and believes that this is the key reason for the school’s
remarkable success.
“I believe we’ve become an even more serious institution in the
last 20 years,” he said. “Essentially, we’ve progressed many
decades in only 20 years. Let me put it this way: we didn’t have
many St. John’s students from Montana back in 1986. That added
diversity of our student body strengthens us academically and adds
to our Vincentian tradition of being a welcoming university. And
with the D’Angelo Center as the beautiful new hub of student
activity, it’s just a great time to be on this campus.”