A Legacy of Giving Students Brighter Futures

Dr. Luigi Salvaneschi knows firsthand the transformative power of education. He was the son of peasant farmers in northern Italy and watched his parents work hard for very little. "I know what poverty is," he says. "That was not the life I wanted to live."

Studying was his way out. He earned his Ph.D. in canonical law and taught at universities in Italy and Egypt.

His career took a turn to business when he moved to Chicago and met a gentleman named Ray Kroc. Dr. Salvaneschi was integral in McDonald's international expansion, opening 15,000 stores around the world. He went on to leadership in Kentucky Fried Chicken and Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation.

After retirement, Dr. Salvaneschi taught at Barry University's Andreas School of Business. His own education was rich in the humanities—foreign languages, history, poetry, art, music. The text he wrote and used for his class, Renaissance 2000, emphasized how liberal arts skills are essential for leaders and entrepreneurs. "This well-rounded learning is about life," he states, "about what makes a person a person."

For him, Barry was the right partner for establishing the Luigi Salvaneschi Endowed Scholarship. Rooted in the best Catholic tradition, Barry inspires students to aim for perfection and make a positive difference in society.

The scholarship empowers young people like Dr. Salvaneschi: first-generation college students with financial need who aspire to teach. "To give a future to young people that they might never have thought of," he says, "that is what I will leave behind."

Providing Support to Achieve

Like Dr. Salvaneschi, you can make a difference in students' lives with a scholarship or other planned gift. To learn more, contact Smilka Melgoza at 305-981-8182 or smelgoza@barry.edu.