NBA Hall of Famer and former Marquette University basketball star Dwyane Wade has committed $3 million to his alma mater to fund youth literacy, scholarships and the men’s basketball program.
The funds will extend the Tragil Wade-Johnson Summer Reading Program for local elementary school children, establish the Wade Scholars and support a new men’s basketball practice facility in a future expansion of the Athletic and Human Performance Research Center.
“Marquette shaped me into the person I am today. It means a great deal to me and my family to be able to give back to take the university to the next level,” Wade said. “My hope is to continue to transform lives through higher education.” The three-time NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist said.
“Dwyane has been an inspiration across the world, and his legacy is so much bigger than basketball,” Marquette president Michael R. Lovell said. “We are proud of the way Dwyane represents our Marquette mission. His generous gift will make a major impact on the lives of our current students as well as future generations, and it will significantly elevate our men’s basketball program.”
Growing literacy, reducing the ‘summer slide’
Since 2015, the highly successful Tragil Wade-Johnson Summer Reading Program, named after Dwyane’s sister, has extensively reduced the “summer slide” in reading achievement among Milwaukee school children. “Literacy is a core focus area in our efforts to improve lives,” Wade-Johnson said. “We believe that every kid deserves a chance, and we are proud that year after year, every participant either maintains or increases their reading level.” The program is hosted in the Ralph C. Hartman Literacy and Learning Center.
Wade is encouraging the Marquette community to join him in his efforts to help boost reading skills amongst the city’s youth by donating to the program.
“We are so thankful for this gift which will ensure that Milwaukee children will continue to strengthen their literacy skills, grow in knowledge and confidence, and get off to a good start with learning in the fall,” said associate professor and Hartman Center director Dr. Kathleen Clark, who has led the program since its inception.
As part of the reading program, children are given a dedicated 90-minute reading block where they participate in phonological awareness and structured literacy instruction that targets their reading needs.
They also participate in an additional hour of instruction in which literacy is integrated with another area, most often hands-on, inquiry science. Teachers instruct children in small groups, so children receive more one-on-one attention than is possible in a typical classroom setting.
The summer reading program launched with funding from the Wade’s World Foundation and fundraising continues. Wade and former teammate Travis Diener host an annual Champions for Literacy event to raise additional funds for the program.
Wade Scholars
A portion of Wade’s gift will establish the Wade Scholars, benefiting low-income, high-achieving students. Two students per year will receive full room and board scholarships for their first two years on campus. The university’s Student Success initiative has highlighted the importance of living on campus, which allows students to live the full Marquette experience without the educational, psychological, and social ramifications of struggling with housing or commuting.
“Dwyane is widely known as a Marquette legend, a successful entrepreneur and a basketball Hall of Famer. This thoughtful and generous gift epitomizes who he is as a philanthropic leader and who he cares about — and we couldn’t be more grateful,” said vice president for university advancement Tim McMahon.
The gift to establish the Wade Scholars fulfills a vision Wade shared when he first launched the summer reading program. At that time in 2014, he said, “My hope is that the children will envision themselves as future Marquette students where they can one day transform their lives through higher education.
‘Dwyane Wade Court’
Wade, who in 2003 led Marquette to the Final Four, is committing a portion of his gift to a future project to expand the university’s Athletic and Human Performance Research Center, which will include a new practice facility for the men’s basketball program. The expansion will free up highly utilized space in the Al McGuire Center for the women’s basketball and volleyball programs, and increase tutoring, advising and study space for all student-athletes. The first phase of the AHPRC opened in 2019. As the university community continues to build momentum in its Time to Rise campaign, donors have expressed a philanthropic interest in supporting the second phase of the AHPRC. The facility remains in the fundraising and development phase.
“Dwyane has modeled what it means to be a person for others and a global ambassador of our Marquette basketball program,” vice president and director of athletics Bill Scholl said. “This gift will play a large role as we continue to create and sustain championship-level success.”
In recognition of this leadership gift, Marquette will name the men’s basketball practice facility court the Dwyane Wade Court. Marquette men’s basketball head coach Shaka Smart highlighted Wade’s importance to the culture of the nationally-ranked men’s basketball program.
“From his playing days at Marquette to the way he leads today, Dwyane embodies our core values: relationships, growth, victory,” Smart said. “Dwyane’s legacy and impact continue to expand. Our current players truly appreciate his strong connection and commitment to our program, and our future student-athletes will be inspired to train on the court that will honor his name.”
