MILWAUKEE, July 26, 2023 — The Ramirez Family Foundation (the Foundation) announced today that it has acquired the Cardinal Stritch University campus in an agreement valued at $24 million.
The campus’s excellent location, spacious facilities and rich educational and spiritual heritage closely align with the vision and mission of the Ramirez Family Foundation. While specific plans for the campus will be developed over time, the facilities lend themselves to educational ministries which are the primary focus of the Foundation. Recently, the Foundation, along with hundreds of additional donors, supported the soon-to-be completed 900-student facility expansion at St. Augustine Preparatory Academy, commonly known as Aug Prep, increasing the school’s capacity to 2,400 students.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire a unique property that will, in time, provide the Ramirez Family Foundation with a platform to make an even larger impact,” said Gus Ramirez and Becky Ramirez, cochairs of the Ramirez Family Foundation. “When the Cardinal Stritch campus first became available, we moved quickly to reach a purchase agreement. While we have a broad vision to expand access to a high-quality, Christian education for underserved students in Milwaukee, our specific plans for the campus will be determined after careful consideration, analysis and input from educational leaders at Aug Prep.”
Earlier this year, Cardinal Stritch announced that it was discontinuing operations and putting its campus up for sale. The transaction was approved by the Cardinal Stritch University Board of Trustees and, ultimately, the Vatican. The campus spans 43.5 acres in Milwaukee’s north suburbs, featuring 12 buildings with a combined 607,000 square feet.
“The Ramirez Family Foundation is built on the premise that a high-quality education is life-changing, which is why we have dedicated our family’s time, efforts and resources to elevating educational opportunities and access for disadvantaged students globally,” Ramirez said. “We are excited about the possibilities that this transaction opens up for us to continue the campus’s spiritual and educational history and help students reach their God-given potential.”
As featured in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
About the Ramirez Family Foundation
Established by Gus and Becky Ramirez, the Ramirez Family Foundation supports schools and students in the United States and around the world, particularly in Central and South America and more recently in Puerto Rico. The Foundation has supported more than 200 schools impacting more than 300,000 impoverished students. The Foundation seeks to invest in opportunities and projects that have great leadership, support underserved students and offer young people an opportunity to earn a superior faith-based education and become impactful leaders as adults.