Duquesne President Ken Gormley announced today that the University’s new student apartment building on Forbes Avenue will be named for prominent law alumnus and Board Chair John “Jack” McGinley.

During the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new structure, named McGinley Hall, Gormley commended McGinley for his longstanding leadership, commitment and service to Duquesne University, as well as to Catholic higher education more broadly.

“As Board Chair of Duquesne University, Jack McGinley has dedicated himself to advancing this University, and specifically, our students, so they have the same wonderful and enduring experience that he had here,” Gormley said. “Throughout most of my tenure as president, Jack has been an essential partner and wise counsel for me, enabling the University to move a series of significant projects forward.”

McGinley’s important support of Duquesne students in their pursuit of bigger goals at the University has been immeasurable. Some of his lasting contributions include:

• Creating the McGinley Public Service Fellowships, which encourage law students to work in public service. More than 100 Fellows from Duquesne Kline Law have engaged in public-service internships in all three branches of government in Pennsylvania, the United States and other countries
• Instituting the annual McGinley Rice Symposium on Justice for Vulnerable Populations addresses critical social justice and health care issues like homelessness, addiction, hunger and this year’s theme—the face of the people with dementia
• Helping to lead the early push to launch Duquesne University’s new College of Osteopathic Medicine, for which McGinley contributed and helped to raise over $12 million from the Board of Directors and other prominent alumni.

Gormley also praised McGinley’s commitment to serving others, an admirable characteristic that also is an important foundation of Duquesne University’s mission. “Jack is a firm believer, as a Catholic and Spiritan University, that Duquesne is all about service to others,” Gormley explained. “He has never asked for anything in return for his service to our University and his community, other than the satisfaction of seeing the places and people he cares about—including future generations of Duquesne students—succeed in every way.”

Recognized widely as a leader in the region, McGinley helped negotiate the merger that led to UPMC-Mercy Hospital, ensuring Mercy would remain a Catholic hospital and preserving the Sisters of Mercy’s work in Pittsburgh. He also served for 12 years as chair of St. Bonaventure’s Board of Trustees, at his undergraduate alma mater. McGinley’s continued service and leadership includes chairing the Pittsburgh Foundation and chairing the Rita McGinley Foundation.

McGinley was purposely not made aware of the surprise announcement.

“President Gormley developed the idea to name the new residence building to recognize my father, and the unveiling was a complete surprise to him. It is a wonderful and fitting honor,” explained the Hon. Mary C. McGinley, a judge for the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. “The guidepost of my father’s leadership and dedication to Duquesne University is the wellbeing and enrichment of its students. This will be a lasting recognition of my father’s connectivity to Duquesne University and its students.”

A 1968 graduate of the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, McGinley has served as chair of the Duquesne University Board of Directors since July 2017. He is a member of the Duquesne University Century Club of Distinguished Alumni and serves as an emeritus member of the Duquesne Kline School of Law Advisory Board. 

Additionally, McGinley is a widely respected and accomplished lawyer with more than 45 years of legal experience in the Pittsburgh region, which includes his work as assistant district attorney for Allegheny County; co-founder of the law firm Grogan Graffam McGinley and Lucchino; and serving as current chair of the Executive Committee at Eckert Seamans.

Gormley also announced a half-million-dollar endowment to name at least two McGinley Scholars each year—from among the student residents of McGinley Hall—to provide a special scholarship for students who exhibit the qualities of Jack McGinley himself: service, leadership and community engagement.

“My siblings, John, Kate and I, and our families are incredibly proud of our dad (and grandfather to nine),” Judge McGinley said. “He has been a devoted servant and leader to Duquesne for many years. In fact, he spends so much time at Duquesne that he should probably have a room to stay in the new building! We thank President Gormley and the University for recognizing our father in this way.”

McGinley Hall is an 11-story, 556-bed student apartment building located at 1045 Forbes Avenue that offers studio, two-bedroom and four-bedroom apartment options. Some of the features and amenities include in-unit washers and dryers; student lounges and study/collaboration spaces; in-building mail service; a mini-mart; and 24-hour emergency maintenance, front desk and fitness center. The facility offers leases to Duquesne juniors, seniors and graduate students.

First announced as a project in December 2022, McGinley Hall is a public-private partnership between Duquesne University, Radnor Property Group and Harrison Street.

This is the third such project partnering Duquesne with Harrison Street, one of the leading investment management firms exclusively focused on alternative real assets, and Radnor Property Group, a developer specializing in public-private partnerships and multifamily housing. 

“Radnor is very appreciative of our seven-year partnership with Duquesne University spanning multiple assets and involving the creation of over 1,500 student beds on DU’s campus,” said David J. Yeager, managing partner of Radnor Property Group. “Our relationship with Duquesne is one of our firm’s deepest in our company’s 25-year history. We are honored to partner with Duquesne and contribute to the renewal of the Forbes Avenue corridor and the enhancement of the student life experience. I also offer my deepest congratulations to Mr. McGinley on this much-deserved honor.

Duquesne University

Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation’s top Catholic universities for its award-winning faculty and horizon-expanding education. A campus of nearly 8,200 graduate and undergraduate students, Duquesne prepares students by having them work alongside faculty to discover and reach their goals. The University’s academic programs, community service and commitment to equity and opportunity in the Pittsburgh region have earned national acclaim.

Read the original Duquesne University News article