JAMAICA — After decades of supporting Catholic education, William Janetschek is investing in its future at St. John’s University, unlike anyone has before.
The Chair of St. John’s Board of Trustees and retired Chief Financial Officer of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P., Janetschek, gifted the university a $32.5 million donation last month, the largest in its 155-year history. A majority of the donation, $25 million, will fund a new practice facility for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, while the remaining $7.5 million will go toward student scholarships.
“We’re using basketball as a way to leverage the academics at the university,” Janetschek said. “[If] we get basketball right, people get more engaged. Alumni get more engaged. Students get more engaged. Potential students get more engaged.”
Basketball is oftentimes the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks about St. John’s University, Janetschek noted, for better or for worse. It’s the “front porch of the university,” he said, and over the past few years, St. John’s has committed to improving a basketball program that has not found sizable success in 40 years.
A turning point for the men’s program came in March 2023, when the university hired Rick Pitino as the head coach.
This past season, the team reached heights it hadn’t in decades. They were the Big East Conference regular season champions, won the Big East Tournament, and participated in the NCAA Tournament.
The new facility, with an anticipated completion date in 2027, will support both the men’s and women’s programs, the latter coached by Joe Tartamella.
It will feature hydro-therapy pools, state-of-the-art fitness, strength, and training equipment, team dining facilities, a lounge, video analysis tools, and multiple basketball courts. Construction of the facility will begin in the coming months.
When he joined the coaching staff, Pitino communicated the importance of a new basketball facility to St. John’s University President Father Brian Shanley and Janetschek. However, the conversation about a facility of this magnitude dates back a decade, when former St. John’s basketball star Chris Mullin was the men’s coach.
“With the men’s and women’s basketball programs, we’re at an inflection point where we were really good last year and we’re going to be really good this year,” Janetschek said. “In order to support what both coaches are trying to do, in order to help recruit and make sure that these students have a good experience, they’ve been telling me that they must have a new basketball facility.”
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Janetschek was born into a middle-class household in Nassau County. He graduated from St. John’s in 1984. For decades, he has supported Catholic education, contributing to initiatives that help underprivileged students. Last year, Century Hall, one of the Queens campus’ three inaugural residence halls, was renamed Janetschek Hall, in honor of his brother, Robert J. Janetschek ’85GP.
“The generous contributions made by loyal alumni and by Board Chair Bill Janetschek exceed any monetary measure,” Father Shanley said in a statement. “Bill’s transformative gift will significantly enhance St. John’s basketball programs and provide student-athletes with unparalleled opportunities to excel both on and off the court.”