When we envisioned a fund that would support students in times of need as a way to honor Christopher Callahan ? �the founding dean of the college ? and his wife, Jean, the word ?coronavirus? was not yet part of our daily vocabulary, and we never dreamed the world would turn upside down the way it has. But it has. As a result, many Cronkite students, along with the rest of us, face challenges we could not have imagined.

Designed for maximum flexibility and responsiveness, the Jean and Christopher Callahan Fund for Student Success supports initiatives that benefit wide swaths of the student body and enables the college to respond quickly to individual student needs as they arise. Assistance may include an emergency fund to help students in crisis; training, workshops, classes or other interventions that benefit student health and success; physical spaces to promote wellness; reporting and research projects that shed light on student mental health and wellness; and more.

The fund stems from Dean Callahan?s unwavering ?student first? ethos. Every decision he made over his 15-year tenure was driven by a deep and singular commitment to the success of his students ? in their classes, extracurricular activities, careers and in their mental health and emotional well-being.

When you contribute to the Jean and Christopher Callahan Fund for Student Success, you provide students with the critical support they need today and in the future, and you honor the enormous legacy our founding dean.