Berkeley’s Master Plan Realized Through the Generosity of Many

The Dedication and Consecration of the Berkeley Chapel on April 15, 2023 marked the official completion of Berkeley Preparatory School’s Master Plan. The Berkeley Chapel is the final building of a phased plan that was to take 20 years to complete and entirely transform the campus. The school conducted two capital campaigns, Above & Beyond: The Campaign for Berkeley Preparatory School and Berkeley Now, Berkeley Forever, with two major goals – to alter the campus learning environment and to bolster the school’s endowment. 

 

The Master Plan was completed seven years ahead of schedule and the campaigns achieved the two goals of bringing world-class facilities to Berkeley while successfully increasing the school’s endowment. Since the Master Plan was approved, Berkeley has improved thoroughfares with an additional entrance and new road through campus, constructed six new buildings, renovated existing spaces, and added significantly to the school’s endowment. Berkeley added the Straz Family Field House in 2012, the Berkeley Café in 2013, the Gries Center for the Arts and Sciences in 2015, the Seivold Center for Early Childhood Education in 2018, the Forsyth Center for Elementary Education in 2022, and the Berkeley Chapel in 2023 for a total of nearly 200,000 new square feet of state-of-the-art space. Dickey Field and Bisk-Turkel Field (in Newman Stadium) were updated in 2018 and 2022 respectively.

 

The lead gift for the campaign was $10 million and Berkeley received 30 gifts of $1 million or more to the campaigns. In total, the school’s leadership raised over $95 million while adding nearly $20 million to the school’s endowment. The dream of transforming Berkeley’s campus was fulfilled by hundreds of believers in Berkeley’s mission and impact, including Patricia and Howard Jenkins, Bob Gries, Ami Patel Pagidipati ’02 and Sidd Pagidipati, Nicole and Dan Doyle, Jr., Roz and Dan Doyle, Sr., Catherine and David Straz, Jr., Francesca and Richard Forsyth, Courtney and Jason Kuhn, Susie Kuhn, Allison Casper Adams ’87 and Robby Adams, Tate and Blake Casper, Shannon and Bruce Lucas, Alison Bisk Turkel and Brian Turkel, Kimberly and Josh Rademacher, Sneha and Vik Patel, Suzanne and Paul Gabos, Matthew Bray ’95 and Susie Bray, Lori and Mike Kosloske, Liz and Victor Patrick, Myra and Mike Doyle, Mary Ann and Marty Schaffel, Marsha and Stephen Dickey, Peggy and Bob Rothman, Jean and Ian MacKechnie, Kathy and Scott Fink, Billy Williams III, and several donors who wish to remain anonymous.

 

Many others were inspired to make equally meaningful gifts to Berkeley’s endowment including A. Gerald Divers, Masumi Ishimine and Brian Prince, Sareet Majumdar ’81 and Rajjina Majumdar, and other anonymous donors.