Back in 1904, when Patrick Carroll took over for John Brondel as the bishop of the Helena Diocese, he inherited a growing Catholic community, along with the former bishop's dream to create a college rooted in academics and religion.

William Howard Taft helped lay the cornerstone of St. Charles Hall in 1909. Classes began at Mount Saint Charles College, named in honor of St. Charles Borromeo, in September 1910.

Now, nearly 100 years after it was founded, Carroll College has grown from a dream to an established institution rich in academic success, or as Richard Ortega puts it, faith-based education with a social conscious.

Ortega, the college's vice president for institutional advancement, came from San Antonio with a doctorate in education and 20 years of experience in fundraising and marketing. Now he finds himself doing what Bishop Carroll set out to do last century -- raise money to propel Carroll College into the next century.

"While we've had successful campaigns, this will be the first comprehensive campaign in Carroll's history," Ortega said last week, sitting in an office carved from a former convent for nuns. "It's on a larger scale than any of the campaigns we've done in the past."

Carroll College recently hired a consulting group to complete a feasibility study, identifying a long list of goals that coincide with the school's current and future needs. The consultants held 55 interviews with prospective donors. They also sent out 1,600 surveys across several states listing possible campaign goals, which ranged from a new performing arts center to the creation of new academic programs.

In the survey, participants were asked to rank the goals. They also were asked if they'd be willing to support them financially and be willing to serve as a volunteer leader to see them to reality.

The results surprised even Ortega.

While the school tested a campaign goal ranging between $20 million and $30 million, the numbers came back higher, meaning the college has the potential to surpass its own campaign goals.

Still, Ortega is quick to add that the numbers could change as the college heads into the silent phase of its centennial campaign, which is likely to start this November and last a year.

"The first phase is a quiet phase, where they fine-tune the case statement, get the leadership in place, and secure those lead gifts," Ortega said. "At that time, we'll be in a better position to say what the campaign goal would be. By then, we'll have secured pledges for those leadership gifts."

In a nutshell, the campaign will be conducted on various levels, including board campaigns, faculty campaigns, a drive for greater Helena, and one for other regional cities. Some may pledge donations to be paid over time, while others may write the college into their estate plans.

No matter the approach, Ortega said, the preliminary response has been positive and the future looks bright. The college plans to announce major donors and grants as they come in over the coming weeks and months.

"One rule is that you must have 60 percent of your goal before making a public announcement," Ortega said. "Others would then come forward after seeing our success. For major gifts, there's still cultivation that needs to go on. You have to allow time for that to happen."

The idea of a Catholic college in Montana began with Bishop Brondel in the 1880s. Brondel initially conceived the idea of a college for boys in order to create a native-born clergy.

Bishop Carroll, who succeeded Brondel at the diocese, took the idea of a college and expanded it. The Order of Hibernians in Butte gave Bishop Carroll $5,000 toward the building of the college. In time, other donors signed on, most notably railroad magnate James Hill, who donated $50,000 to the bishop for his scholarly plans.

Carroll College has grown slowly ever since. And while the centennial campaign doesn't officially commence until next month, Ortega said some initiatives have already been funded, including the Initiative for Institutional Effectiveness. The $2 million initiative would help Carroll strengthen its assessment and evaluation of all aspects of the college.

Carroll has also received a major gift toward its $500,000 goal to create a new campus master plan. The plan would help preserve current infrastructure and guide future development to accommodate a growing student body. Ortega said some would like to see the student body grow to 2,000 students from the 1,248 now enrolled at the college.

"How do we do that growth in an orderly manner while maintaining scale and personal touch?" Ortega asked. "We have space to grow, but it's not limitless. How do we make the best use of that space?"

Ortega admitted that Carroll has many needs, some beyond the school's current fundraising abilities, including a new convocation center, estimated at $30 million, and a new $10 million performing arts center.

While rumors about the performing arts center and convocation facility have been circulating around Helena for more than a year, Ortega said neither facility scored high on the survey. Chances are, he said, they won't become reality for some time, barring the emergence of a major donor willing to make them happen.

"There are individuals who want them desperately, but they're not the individuals who would fund them," Ortega said. "If there are individuals who would like to see these happen, we're open to that discussion."

While a new performing arts center and convocation hall may have to wait, renovations to Nelson Stadium are more likely to occur as part of the centennial. Adding lights and a more durable playing surface, Ortega said, would allow Carroll to host more games. Installing 2,000 seats to the south side of the football field would bring the stadium's seating capacity to roughly 8,000, making it one of the largest in NAIA football.

But Ortega is quick to add that the school's future lies in strengthening its academic reputation. That means creating stronger, more innovative programs, with top-notch faculty members.

"Enhancing our academic reputation while enhancing our Catholic mission and identity remain our top two goals," Ortega said.

The majority of the college's centennial campaign focuses on new programs, renovations and facilities aimed at meeting those goals. Among them, Ortega said, Carroll will set out to raise $7 million to enhance its Catholic identity.

As part of that, a new campus chapel would be established, along with a Center for Peace and Social Justice, and a formation program specializing in the lay ministry.

"We're at a stage where we have to be very purposeful in order to maintain our Catholic traditions and identity," Ortega said. "We've thought long and hard how to use this centennial to not only celebrate the past and where we are today, but how to use it to position ourselves for the future."

Already, the school plans to raise $5 million to enhance its academic programs. That, Ortega said, includes the creation of endowed academic positions to help bolster the school's academic standing, already ranked one of the highest in the country.

"Endowed academic positions allow you to attract, retain and reward outstanding faculty members," Ortega said. "It's one manifestation of academic rigor, having endowed positions like that."

New funding could come through federal sources, Ortega said. The school has also submitted a proposal to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. If the funding comes through, it could help enhance Carroll's bioscience curriculum and laboratories.

"We need to strengthen our civil engineering program as well," Ortega said. "It's important that we expand the laboratories, get additional faculty, and enhance the support of the faculty we have."

Other initiatives will include a Human Animal Bonding program and facility, creating the Center for Nursing, Health and Wellness, expanding teaching and research facilities within the civil engineering department, and renovating the science hall with modern labs.

"If you look at our record of achievement, you can say we've prepared our students to be leaders in their field," Ortega said. "There's something we impart on them, and we'd like to believe its academic rigor with ethics, spiritual development and a social consciences that allows them to be successful in their areas."

Reporter Martin Kidston:

447-4086

or mkidston@helenair.com.