For Dawn and Chris Bloise, both BSBA ’97, a college degree represents a stepping stone to a better life. As undergraduate students, they were keenly aware of all the sacrifices their parents made so they could go to college. It was a privilege to attend Washington University, and Dawn and Chris were intent on securing the education and skills required to obtain career success.
The couple met during a semester abroad in London for Olin Business School students. The program offered experiential learning in one of the world’s preeminent economic and cultural hubs. While there, Chris, now president and managing partner of Court Square Capital in New York City, interned with a financial services company. Dawn, a former vice president of marketing for Digitas media company, worked for a marketing firm. Both credit their internships as instrumental in their career advancement.
Good friends during college, the pair did not start dating until years later when they both worked in Manhattan. The university played such a meaningful role in their relationship that they held their wedding ceremony in Graham Chapel, followed by a reception at the Whittemore House. Today, the couple have three children and make their home in Pelham, New York.
“Not many people get married at their alma mater, but we did,” Chris says. “We’re both very cognizant of how we got to where we are today. We did not do it alone; we needed a lot of support and a little bit of luck. WashU is a big piece of that.”
As staunch advocates for the value of a WashU education, the couple has given $1 million to endow the Dawn and Christopher Bloise Scholarship for undergraduates with financial need. The unrestricted gift for scholarships allows the university to distribute the funding to students in any school. “We believe that a WashU education transforms lives,” Chris says. “We support scholarships because we want other people to have the same opportunities we had.”
Make Way for students
Scholarships make WashU accessible to all admitted students, regardless of their financial circumstances, according to Ronné Turner, vice provost for admissions and financial aid. Increasing access and support is a driving force behind Make Way: Our Student Initiative. Launched in October 2022, the fundraising effort seeks to build additional financial resources for students, including scholarships.
“Scholarship gifts from donors like the Bloises help ensure that cost is not a barrier to a WashU education,” Turner says. “More scholarships mean our admissions experts can tell prospective students that if they’re accepted to WashU based on their talents and abilities, we’re going to make it possible for them to come here — no ifs, ands, or buts.”
As part of this commitment, the university announced it will adopt a no-loan financial aid policy for incoming undergraduates beginning in fall 2024. The policy replaces federal loans with scholarships, grants, and work-study opportunities so admitted students can attend WashU without accruing major debt. Right now, the university plans to cover much of the expense through its operating budget. But to maintain this important policy in the long term, WashU aims to raise more than $325 million for undergraduate scholarships for its endowment.
Make Way for the future
Your participation in Make Way: Our Student Initiative will help Washington University build financial resources for scholarships and fellowships and provide a best-in-class experience for all students, regardless of their background.
“We’ve made an extraordinary pledge to our students,” says Pamella Henson, executive vice chancellor for university advancement. “As we celebrate this moment, we must also look ahead. We’re counting on the generous support of alumni and friends to sustain the promise we have made.”
On average, more than 50% of undergraduate financial aid comes from the operating budget. Funding more aid through endowment allows the university and its schools to use operating resources to bolster existing academic programs and research and capitalize on new opportunities. Thanks in part to Make Way donors, WashU decreased its reliance on operating funds to finance undergraduate aid during the last fiscal year.
WashU’s transition to a more centralized scholarship model, where awards are made at the university level instead of through schools, further benefits deans and their academic units — as well as students. Turner says the Bloise Scholarship and other universitywide scholarships encourage the interdisciplinary ambitions of today’s undergraduates.
“Our students must be able to explore their interests and cross academic boundaries to help them grow, develop, and learn,” she says. “They will be solving some of the world’s most challenging problems, and we need to provide them with the skills and experience to be successful.”
Family ties
The Bloises learned about the transformative power of higher education at an early age. Dawn’s mother, Pamela Hartman, AB ’68, attended WashU at a time when most women in her family’s rural Illinois community did not go to college. “My mom taught me how college introduces you to diversity of thought and broadens your worldview,” Dawn says. “She emphasized how those experiences open doors and change the trajectory of your life.”
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Dawn, her two sisters, and two first cousins graduated from WashU. “My mom broke the mold, and that determination carried over to the next generation,” she says. “I am thankful she shared that persistence with me, especially growing up in a rural environment where people think some careers are unattainable. She was so proud to attend WashU and even prouder to have her children attend.” Receiving need-based scholarships to supplement their student loans also helped make it possible for the Hartman sisters to realize their dreams of earning a degree.
The Bloise Scholarship builds on the couple’s decades-long support of the university. They previously made gifts to Olin Business School, where they established the Pamela Hartman Scholarship, named after Dawn’s mother, in 2016. In 2023, Chris received Olin’s Distinguished Alumni Award. The couple are inaugural members of the William H. Danforth Leadership Society, which recognizes donors whose lifetime giving totals $1 million or more.
During a recent visit to the Danforth Campus, the Bloises had the chance to meet their scholarship recipients. The students, who are accomplished scholars, artists, and athletes, shared their WashU experiences and their gratitude for receiving scholarship support. The couple left the conversation feeling humbled and eager to help more young people achieve their educational goals.
“If anyone wants to know how scholarships change lives, they simply need to talk with a scholarship recipient,” Chris says. “You will be amazed. Scholarships are the highest-yield pay-it-forward program you can find. The support can benefit people’s lives for generations. That’s a tremendous return on investment.”
