BUILD FOR IMPACT
A multi-year $18M comprehensive campaign for scholarships and campus expansion
Success in this multi-year, comprehensive campaign will further advance our building of an entrepreneurial epicenter for a robust Catholic and Christian media industry cluster.
We welcome benefactors who wish to connect their legacy with ours, joining us on the journey to form a rising generation of creative artists, business professionals, and scholars poised to Impact Culture for Christ.
Letter from President Connolly
Join our mission to Impact Culture for Christ
Dear Friends,
You may not know the story of the founding of John Paul the Great Catholic University (JPCatholic), and the key idea underpinning it.
On November 2, 2000, while visiting Franciscan University of Steubenville, I experienced something profound: A campus full of young Catholics on-fire for Jesus and living a dynamically orthodox faith. As I prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the Portiuncula chapel later that evening–
The Lord put on my heart a call to build a dynamic and orthodox Catholic university.
The scale and cost of the undertaking made me dismiss the Lord’s call. In September 2003, after much prayer and a personal encounter with Jesus, I finally said “yes” and began the process of being God’s hands in the building of JPCatholic.
During that time of discernment, as Pope John Paul the Great’s pontificate was drawing to a close, there was an explosive growth in internet video, created by Google and YouTube. Anticipating a radical transformation of the media and entertainment industry, I saw an unprecedented opportunity to respond to St. John Paul the Great’s urgent call for a new evangelization. The visionary pope had called the Catholic faithful to adopt radically new techniques in communicating the Gospel to our culture. In response, I, along with a group of co-founders, set out to build a novel 21st-century entrepreneurial Catholic university designed for impact, sitting at the center of a Catholic and Christian media industry cluster.
JPCatholic graduates offer a generous response to Christ’s missionary call.
Our mission is to Impact Culture for Christ by forming students as creators, innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs at the intersection of Creative Arts, Business, and the Humanities, guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ as preserved by His Catholic Church. What began with 30 freshmen in the Fall of 2006 is now a truly credible 21st-century forward-looking Catholic university designed to Impact Culture for Christ.
I ask that you prayerfully consider a gift to our Build for Impact campaign, which is critical to the success of this mission. Your gift can directly support our St. Theresa of Calcutta Chapel, Creative Arts Complex, or Student Scholarships.
Derry Connolly
Founding President
Our JPCatholic History
With an extraordinarily generous $50,000 gift and God’s help in 2005, we walked forward in faith to launch JPCatholic.
The Catholic University for Creative Arts & Business Innovation
Our institutional strength comes from our laser focus on our Core Mission and Founding Vision to Impact Culture for Christ.
Our world is in desperate need of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. Our academic programs form students for creative, intellectual, and entrepreneurial excellence to rise to this challenge.
Our compelling and innovative programs include BS degrees in Communications Media and Business, a BA in Humanities, and a BFA in Visual Arts, with 19 areas of emphasis and 17 minors.
Our faculty, with their strong commitment to mission, teaching excellence, and wealth of real-world industry experience, make JPCatholic an attractive place to study for our students, who learn by thinking and doing.
Alumni Impact
Alumni are using their gifts across multiple industries and apostolates. We are proud of their diverse accomplishments. Below are a sampling of employers who have hired our graduates:
Timmerie Geagea ‘13
Emphasis in New Evangelization
The host of Trending with Timmerie, a nationally syndicated radio show on Relevant Radio, Timmerie is a nationally recognized speaker, pro-life advocate, and social media personality.
Accreditation & Ranking
Building an accredited university is a complex endeavor, which we approach with steadfast determination, careful planning, and deliberate action.
In 2015, we successfully completed the rigorous eight-year accreditation process through WSCUC (WASC Senior College and University Commission), which accredits colleges and universities in California, Hawaii, and the Pacific. In California, this includes 122 non-profits and 39 public institutions, such as Stanford, Caltech, USC, and the UC system.
JPCatholic earned an eight-year accreditation reaffirmation in June 2021, confirming our continued compliance with WSCUC standards.
In 2024, U.S. News ranked us #10 in its list of Best Regional Colleges West for 2025. Among the 104 schools of the Regional Colleges West category, JPCatholic ranks #10 overall (tie) and #3 in Best Value.
The Newman Guide lists JPCatholic among the colleges and universities with a strong commitment to the truth and a fidelity to the magisterial teachings of the Catholic Church.
Effective Stewardship
How $14M raised has provided the basis for $49M in value
JPCatholic has a consistent record of highly effective stewardship. We have operated in the black every single year of our existence. Our $14M in philanthropic donations and God’s help have provided the basis for creating over $49M of value, through building an accredited 21st-century university with generous financial aid and strategic real-estate assets.
Make a Gift
Thank you for your generous support!
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Personal Check
Please mail your personal check payable to JPCatholic:
John Paul the Great Catholic University
220 W. Grand Ave., Escondido, CA 92025
Stock Gifts
Charles Schwab
Account: 6075-0902
DTC: 0164
Tax ID: 20-0471061
