Seattle University gets 2 gifts totaling $42 million

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle University says it has received the two single largest gifts in its history, totaling $42 million.

The first, valued at $30 million, will support the university's new Center for Science and Innovation, and will also be used to create an endowment for student scholarships. The second, a $12 million estate gift, will support the school's Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, as well as scholarships.

Bob Ratliffe, chairman of the Seattle University Board of Trustees, called the donations "transformative" in a news release, and said they will be "instrumental in forming a new generation of leaders steeped in the distinctive values of a Jesuit education."

The donors were not identified.