The Martino Scholars
New $2.5 Million Gift Will Fund Loyola Nursing Degrees for Arrupe College Graduates.
Rocco and Roxanne Martino are committed to lowering barriers to higher education and empowering Loyola University Chicago students from diverse communities to earn degrees, develop careers, and benefit their communities.
Rocco and Roxanne Martino are continuing their commitment to Loyola University Chicago through a major new philanthropic investment. Their $2.5 million gift will establish the Martino Scholars: graduates of Arrupe College (Loyola’s two-year degree program) who go on to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Loyola. The gift will fund financial aid and support services for these students.
By creating a pathway to a career in nursing for these students, many coming from diverse backgrounds, the Martinos’ gift has the power to expand and improve their futures, grow the regional pipeline of qualified nurses, and strengthen the Chicagoland communities where many are likely to live and work after completing their degrees.
“Roxanne and I believe deeply in the power of education to improve lives. We’re first-generation college graduates who received a lot of help along the way,” Rocco, who has been a Trustee of Loyola since 2015, said. “We’re grateful that we can help these students receive an education and training, achieve a degree, and fulfill their aspirations. And—we hope—go on to improve Chicago.”
The Martino Scholars will build on Loyola’s nationally recognized program, CARE (Collaboration, Access, Equity, and Resources) Pathway to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), at the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. CARE helps recruit, fund and support students from underrepresented communities to earn BSN degrees.
This gift will provide Martino Scholars with the financial aid and academic and personal support they need to ensure their success. America ranks 55th in the world in maternal morbidity and mortality in childbirth. Yet in states with the most diverse nursing workforce, risks of poor outcomes are reduced 20% for Black mothers, 31% for Hispanic mothers, and 50% for Asian and Pacific Islander mothers.
Lorna Finnegan, dean of Loyola’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, sees the gift as an important commitment to students who could one day help reduce health inequities in Chicago.
“This generous gift from the Martinos will help create educational access for our talented students of high need, many of whom are the first in their families to pursue a university degree,” she said. “The gift will have profound impacts on our students, their families, and communities for generations to come, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to support students to reach their full potential.”
The Martinos’ gift exemplifies the transformative power of Loyola’s Jesuit, Catholic education rooted in values that nurture the whole person, foster excellence in academics and research, encourage community engagement, and embrace a deep sense of responsibility for our world. This gift is another example of Rocco and Roxanne’s decades of empowering programs and people, and leading organizations that serve communities across Chicago.
About Rocco and Roxanne Martino
Rocco Martino (MBA ‘78), Co-Founder at OceanM19, a single-family alternative investment office, has more than 30 years of experience in private equity investing and management, including co-founding LaSalle Capital. His volunteer leadership roles include Loyola’s Board of Trustees, the Quinlan School of Business Board of Advisors, and Chairperson of NorthShore/Edward/Elmhurst Healthcare System Board of Trustees, Board member and past Chairperson of Illinois Venture Capital Association.
Roxanne Martino, Co-Founder of OceanM19, a single-family alternative investment office, has more than 30 years of experience in hedge-fund investing and management, including as CEO of Aurora Investment Management. Her volunteer leadership roles include chairperson of the boards of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Medical Center, co-chairperson of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Council, and board roles with The Chicago Network and Economic Club of Chicago.
The Martinos have generously supported Loyola’s Arrupe College, the Quinlan School of Business, Athletics, and other priorities. They are members of Loyola’s Founders’ Circle, which recognizes donors for outstanding generosity to the University.
Rocco and Roxanne Martino are continuing their commitment to Loyola University Chicago through a major new philanthropic investment. Their $2.5 million gift will establish the Martino Scholars: graduates of Arrupe College (Loyola’s two-year degree program) who go on to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Loyola. The gift will fund financial aid and support services for these students.
By creating a pathway to a career in nursing for these students, many coming from diverse backgrounds, the Martinos’ gift has the power to expand and improve their futures, grow the regional pipeline of qualified nurses, and strengthen the Chicagoland communities where many are likely to live and work after completing their degrees.
“Roxanne and I believe deeply in the power of education to improve lives. We’re first-generation college graduates who received a lot of help along the way,” Rocco, who has been a Trustee of Loyola since 2015, said. “We’re grateful that we can help these students receive an education and training, achieve a degree, and fulfill their aspirations. And—we hope—go on to improve Chicago.”
The Martino Scholars will build on Loyola’s nationally recognized program, CARE (Collaboration, Access, Equity, and Resources) Pathway to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), at the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. CARE helps recruit, fund and support students from underrepresented communities to earn BSN degrees.
Lorna Finnegan, dean of Loyola’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, sees the gift as an important commitment to students who could one day help reduce health inequities in Chicago.
“This generous gift from the Martinos will help create educational access for our talented students of high need, many of whom are the first in their families to pursue a university degree,” she said. “The gift will have profound impacts on our students, their families, and communities for generations to come, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to support students to reach their full potential.”
The Martinos’ gift exemplifies the transformative power of Loyola’s Jesuit, Catholic education rooted in values that nurture the whole person, foster excellence in academics and research, encourage community engagement, and embrace a deep sense of responsibility for our world. This gift is another example of Rocco and Roxanne’s decades of empowering programs and people, and leading organizations that serve communities across Chicago.
About Rocco and Roxanne Martino
Rocco Martino (MBA ‘78), Co-Founder at OceanM19, a single-family alternative investment office, has more than 30 years of experience in private equity investing and management, including co-founding LaSalle Capital. His volunteer leadership roles include Loyola’s Board of Trustees, the Quinlan School of Business Board of Advisors, and Chairperson of NorthShore/Edward/Elmhurst Healthcare System Board of Trustees, Board member and past Chairperson of Illinois Venture Capital Association.
Roxanne Martino, Co-Founder of OceanM19, a single-family alternative investment office, has more than 30 years of experience in hedge-fund investing and management, including as CEO of Aurora Investment Management. Her volunteer leadership roles include chairperson of the boards of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Medical Center, co-chairperson of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Council, and board roles with The Chicago Network and Economic Club of Chicago.
The Martinos have generously supported Loyola’s Arrupe College, the Quinlan School of Business, Athletics, and other priorities. They are members of Loyola’s Founders’ Circle, which recognizes donors for outstanding generosity to the University.