Jim Dunigan '74 COE

Jim Dunigan '74 arrived at Villanova in the fall of 1970 with simple advice from his father, Bernard: Graduate knowing how to do something. It was advice that served Jim well during his time at Villanova and throughout his professional career.

After graduating from the College of Engineering, Jim's first position was building nuclear power plants. Although he never saw himself as a drawing board engineer, Jim knew his engineering degree prepared him for success because of two key fundamentals he learned—how to think and problem solve. In search of his true passion, Jim had a successful run with Ryerson Steel, holding inside and outside sales positions. He credits his experience in sales for helping him understand people. During this time, Jim also earned his undergraduate business degree from Drexel University, setting him up for a successful career working in investments and trusts. He spent 29 years at Provident Bank, working his way up the ladder.

"The investment business was gratifying because I could help people achieve their goals," explains Jim. "We were the 'keepers of people's money' and they entrusted us with that. Provident had multi-generational relationships and by making prudent investments and endowments we were helping families and institutions flourish."

Always eager to give back, Jim served on the board at Malvern Preparatory School and at the Union League of Philadelphia, where he's been a member since 1995. He's served on the Union League board since 2001 and at the urging of fellow board members, was later nominated president.

Jim's always been a believer in giving both his time and financial contributions to those who helped him succeed. His expertise in estate planning led him back to Villanova in 2015 when he decided to make a planned gift. The fundamentals he learned while at Villanova, along with the impact the Augustinian influence had on him, made Jim's decision an easy one.

"When you measure your success, it's important to remember those who contributed to what you achieved and to give back," says Jim. "If you're going to invest in something, in my mind—the Augustinian experience goes beyond anything you can learn in a book. I was impacted by knowing others made their planned gifts, and I'm a big believer in trusts and endowments to prepare for future generations."

Jim is also helping prepare future generations of Villanova Engineers through the Bernard F. and Helen E. Dunigan Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund. Named in honor of his parents, Jim wants to expose engineering students to all the possibilities inside and outside of the field.

Jim and his wife, Barbara, established The Barbara J. and James P. Dunigan '74 Endowed Fund for Professional Development because as Jim says, "professional development was a focus of the late Dean Gabriele.” Jim thinks “it's important to develop engineers professionally and teach them how to run a business, make a living and understand the balance of work and achieving."

Making contributions to Villanova now and in the future was important to Jim, and thanks to his generosity, current and future Villanovans will flourish!

To learn more about how you can help Villanova with a planned gift, like Jim has, contact Tim McKinley at timothy.mckinley@villanova.edu or 215-240-0812.