The university brought the successful yearlong celebration of its 60th anniversary to a close in March.

Highlights included the completion of a massive, community-wide service project, a record-breaking Day of Giving, the publication of 14 Mission Monday articles about university history, and a focus on the ever-present inspiration provided by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.

At the Charter Day event to mark its 60th anniversary in March of 2025, Neumann pledged to provide 60,000 hours of community service during the following 12 months and kicked off that commitment by packing meals for Kids Against Hunger.

On March 13, 2026, Neumann kept that promise by once again turning the floor of the Mirenda Center into a meal-packing assembly line for the same nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides nutritious food to impoverished children and families in 70 countries, including the United States.

More than 200 volunteers—students, faculty, staff, and trustees—gathered at tables on the main gymnasium floor to mix, package, and seal nutritious meals. The campuswide effort propelled the university’s yearlong project to a total of 66,323 hours.

During the year’s commitment to support charitable organizations, members of the university community provided, on average, 181 hours of volunteer service every single day.

According to Megan Camp, Neumann’s director of service-learning and community engagement, who coordinated the project, 1,379 people contributed to the 12-month effort. She noted that students led the way with 976 participants.

Faculty and staff (166) and alumni (131) also contributed significantly to the civic engagement campaign.

The acts of kindness, delivered to friends and strangers, supported a broad variety of causes. Camp’s records indicate that community service activities were dedicated primarily to food insecurity and hunger relief, youth and education support, health and wellness, elderly and senior care, and housing and basic needs.

The university’s Day of Giving was also held during Charter Week. The March 11 fundraising campaign generated $241,634 in donations from 629 donors, including alumni, friends, faculty, and staff.

All challenges offered during the Day of Giving were successful. Notably, thanks to the generosity of our community, $25,000 was raised for scholarships, unlocking an additional $25,000 gift for the Pathway to Graduation Fund from a generous friend of the university. The Neumann family stepped up to help students cross the finish line and secure brighter futures for the next generation of Knights.

Alumni also rallied to support their favorite athletic teams. Women’s soccer ($4,694), women’s lacrosse ($3,208), and men’s ice hockey ($2,085) led the way.

University Advancement staff researched and wrote 14 Mission Monday articles during the year on subjects ranging from Honoring Neumann’s Visionaries and Alumni Success Stories to The History of Homecoming and Athletic Triumphs: Neumann’s Legacy in Sports. All of the articles were published in What’s NU?, the campus newsletter for faculty and staff.

During the reflection on Neumann’s six-decade history, the university also sponsored events that emphasized the importance of carrying Franciscan values into the future.

Political science students spent a late-October weekend in Washington, D.C., diving deep into government, Catholic Social Teaching, and the role of faith in public life.

Students explored iconic monuments and met with influential leaders in an experience organized by the Political Science program and the Center for Global Engagement in collaboration with the Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald Franciscan University Homeland Mission and the Neumann University Advancement Office.

According to its website, Homeland Mission is dedicated to forming faithful Catholic leaders to serve at the heart of American public life. Designed as a home away from home for Franciscan students, this dynamic hub equips them—across all academic disciplines—to engage with politics, policy, and culture with clarity, conviction, and a missionary spirit.

Ward Fitzgerald, CEO and founder of ExCorde Capital, a private equity firm, also delivered Neumann’s tenth annual Abessinio Lecture on Management and Entrepreneurship on November 11. With only a large slide displaying the French phrase Raison d’Être behind him, he urged the hundreds of students in attendance to find their calling.

“Everybody’s not called to be an entrepreneur,” he said. “Find your calling. Find your raison d’être, and lean into what you’re good at. You’ll find it by being self-reflective about your gifts and by spending time with the Lord.”

Dr. Chris Domes looks to the future, too, in his message on page 3 of this issue of Accent, addressing the expansion of experiential education throughout the curriculum.

“Blending applied experience with Franciscan values is a distinguishing characteristic of a Neumann education... A university is a place where students can explore ideas, build character, and frame pathways for the future. We have a responsibility to create an authentic experience that helps them do exactly that.”