Liz Ghrist

Shining Star: In the eyes of the University of St. Thomas, Liz Ghrist is the bright light in the school’s Shining Star Capital Campaign

by Tom Overton

 
Elizabeth Lyons “Liz” Ghrist, chair of the University of St. Thomas’ $65 million capital campaign, came to fundraising through the back door.

“Fundraising was just an aside to helping people,” Ghrist says. “I always try to make things better, and it’s my love for people that makes me do that. I react with absolute emotional horror at the thought of someone going to bed hungry or not having a place to sleep.” Ghrist’s dedication to fellow human beings changed one evening when she found herself at a dinner sitting next to construction magnate Leo Linbeck, who also served on the University of St. Thomas Board of Directors. “He is such a philosophical person,” she says. “We had a thoughtful conversation, and sometime after the dinner, he sent me a book.”

Through Linbeck, Ghrist became interested in the writings of John Henry Cardinal Newman. Later, Linbeck invited Ghrist to join a small group studying the writings of Cardinal Newman. They met in the third-floor ballroom of the famous Link Lee Mansion, which also happens to be the administration building for the University of St. Thomas. The Rev. Richard Schiefen, C.S.B., history professor emeritus, vice president for Academic Affairs emeritus, and a noted cook, served as their informal guide to the thoughts of the famous theologian. He was so impressed with Ghrist that he recommended her for the board of directors. She had to wait until her term as regent for the University of Houston expired before she could join the St. Thomas board. But once she did, things began to happen. The university shifted into a strategic planning mode, where it was determined that this excellent Catholic university needed “only $200 million” to get to where it aspired to be. “When you have accounting problems, you hire an accountant,” Ghrist says. “When you have structural problems, you hire an engineer. When you need money, you find a fundraiser. They looked to me to chair the campaign.”

The university had recently exceeded a $28 million capital campaign goal, and the board determined that it should now go for $65 million. “When we launched the public phase of the Shining Star Capital Campaign in September 2001, we already had $30 million in the till,” she says. “That’s one of the conventions of fundraising.”

Left: Liz Ghrist, Capital Campaign chair, and Ken De Dominicis, VP for Institutional Advancement, University of St. Thomas-Houston

Less conventional was going ahead with the campaign after the attack on the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001. Whether to go ahead with or delay announcement of the Shining Star Capital Campaign was debated vigorously. Ultimately, the University decided that 9/11 created a greater need than ever before for international understanding and the dialogue between faith and reason.

With Ghrist serving as campaign chair, the University of St. Thomas has achieved over $53 million toward its December 2005 goal of $65 million. Under her guiding force, the St. Thomas has erected a new residence hall, an 880-vehicle parking garage, and completed its Academic Mall with the addition of a classroom building wired for the 21st century.

Ghrist generally gravitates to people who need help the most. Early on, she became involved with the Center for the Retarded, the Houston Area Urban League, Neighborhood Centers, and moved on to larger, more complex organizations such as the American Red Cross and the Houston Forum, and began serving on various boards in the Texas Medical Center. No matter what Ghrist has done, no matter how much money she has raised, people who need help always have been her central focus. “Some people need a lot of help,” she says, “while others may just need a kind word.”

Like many fundraisers, whether professional or private citizen, Ghrist got her start with the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast. She started in the UWTGC’s residential division during the 1970s, when going door to door was a big part of the United Way’s fundraising strategy. She progressed through a variety of panels and committees until she was invited to join the board of directors. From her vantage point at the top of the organization, she began to get an increasingly clear picture of the needs of people in the community. “Back then, during the 1970s,” Ghrist recalls, “the United Way was raising $10 or $12 million, and that was simply not enough money. When I went on the board, we introduced the concept of ‘reaching’ goals. We had to convince campaign chairmen to set goals they couldn’t reach for five years, and that was a challenge.” Within five years, however, the United Way was a $40 million operation. And since Ghrist left the board, the UWTGC continued to expand the depth and scope of its services. It has become an $80 million organization, one of the largest in the United States. If the number of successful fundraisers who started with United Way could be determined, it would probably be large.

If the number of people who ever said no to Liz Ghrist could be counted, that would be a very small number. This trim, radiant woman exudes warmth and a soft demeanor that belies the iron determination of an Olympic athlete. When the Shining Star Capital Campaign at the University reaches $65 million, very likely a year ahead of schedule, Ghrist will probably want to push on for even more.