Mark and Ann Baiada, founders of Bayada Home Health Care, have given a $1 million gift to Neumann University.

The donation will be used to support facilities for nursing and health sciences programs, fund scholarships, and bolster the university’s annual fund. Most significantly, it will implement the launch of a new, expansive campus master plan.

“We have always supported Catholic education,” says Ann Baiada, “ and Mark and I embrace the Franciscan values that Neumann University instills in its students. Because of our life’s work in healthcare, we have always been advocates for nurses, too, and Neumann has an outstanding nursing program.”

Because of her family background, Baiada also identifies with the students who attend Neumann, many of whom are the first generation in their family to pursue a college degree.

The campus master plan, recently approved by the Board of Trustees and the focus of the largest portion of the Baiada gift, looks ahead to an expanded campus footprint in 2035. Adding space for 60-100 resident students, renovating Bachmann Building to accommodate the university’s four academic schools, and building a stand-alone student center are the first priorities, set for completion by 2025. Later projects include the creation of a new main entrance to campus, the expansion of event space and conference facilities, and building town homes for students.

The Baiadas have been friends of Neumann since 2006, giving generously to the Scholarship Gala and fund-raising events to support the arts on campus. They have also been the primary donors to initiate the financing of many facilities on campus, including the Bayada Atrium in the Mirenda Center and the Bayada Teaching Auditorium in the Health Sciences Center. The current gift brings their total philanthropic support for Neumann to $3.6 million.

The couple have also dedicated their leadership expertise to the university. Ann served on the Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2020, including a term as board chairperson from 2018-2020. Mark is a key member of the President’s Advisory Board and has delivered the keynote address at Neumann’s Academic Awards Convocation. Together, they have endowed a scholarship for deserving nursing students and established an annual home healthcare lecture.

“Mark and Ann Baiada are true philanthropists with a long and impressive history of helping others,” says Dr. Chris Domes, Neumann University president. “They embody the Franciscan values upon which the university was founded, and we are blessed by their generosity, kindness, and leadership. Their extraordinary gift will provide immediate support for deserving undergraduates and ignite a campus expansion so that we can serve even more students in the coming decades.”

It is no coincidence that Neumann University’s strong nursing and health sciences programs struck a chord with the Baiadas. In 1975, Mark invested his life savings and founded Bayada Home Health Care, an international, nonprofit home health care provider, which is headquartered in Moorestown, New Jersey. The company is based on a belief that people deserve a safe home life with comfort, independence, and dignity.

Today, Bayada employs more than 28,000 people who provide a full range of clinical care and support services at home for children and adults of all ages. The company has a presence in 23 states and six countries.

Ann has a personal connection to the nursing profession. She grew up in the Germantown section of Philadelphia where her mother worked as a nurse. Inspired by her family role model, Ann graduated from Abington Memorial Hospital’s School of Nursing and worked actively as a nurse for 48 years.

The Baiadas have five children and 11 grandchildren. The children, four sisters and one brother, are involved with the business. The family’s motto appears on a wall of every family member’s home: “Think big. Work hard. Show love.”

“With this extraordinarily generous gift,” says Dr. Domes, “Mark and Ann have definitively shown their love for Franciscan higher education and have solidified the success of Neumann University for generations to come.”