INDIANAPOLIS — Marian University President Daniel J. Elsener announced during a ceremony this weekend that a new residence hall on the westside campus will be named Caito-Wagner Hall, thanks to a seven-figure lead gift from Phil and Brigitt
Caito. Construction on the project is set to begin in May 2020.
Caito-Wagner Hall is a 57,000 square foot facility that will house 210 students in 112 rooms when it opens in August 2021. It will include a bell tower dedicated to the Sisters of Saint Francis, Oldenburg, Indiana–Marian’s founder and
sponsor–that will be the highest point of elevation on campus. Caito-Wagner Hall will also house Saint Joseph Chapel and include a garden and reflection area. A commons area with a community kitchen and a pod arrangement of rooms will facilitate
collaboration among the students living in Caito-Wagner Hall. Browning Construction will serve as the lead contractor on the project.
Phil and Brigitt Caito are longtime friends and supporters of Marian University. Their daughter, Amanda Caito Wagner, is a 1995 Marian alumna and their granddaughter, Kaitlin Caito, is a 2014 graduate from Marian. The family previously owned
Caito Foods, which was purchased in 2017 by Grand Rapids, Michigan-based SpartanNash.
“On behalf of the Marian University community, I want to thank Phil and Brigitt Caito for this magnanimous gift,” Elsener said. “This beautiful, new residence hall will not only help accommodate our future enrollment growth, it will also serve as
a stimulus for future enrollment growth. Along with exceptional academic programs, supportive faculty, proximity to downtown Indianapolis, and remarkable job placement rates, add Caito-Wagner Hall to the list of reasons future students will choose
to attend Marian University.”
According to Elsener, Marian has reached its current capacity with more than 900 students currently living in campus housing. In 2015, Marian publicized a ten-year strategic plan that included a goal of doubling the university’s number of annual
graduates. In the four years since publicly announcing the goal, the number of graduates has increased by more than 39 percent.
After completing construction of Caito-Wagner Hall in 2021, Marian will begin a multi-phased renovation of Doyle Hall, the oldest residence hall on campus, transforming it into a more modern living space.
About Marian University Indianapolis
Founded in 1937, Marian University is the only Catholic university in Indianapolis and central Indiana. In 2019, Marian is serving more than 2,400
undergraduate and 1,160 graduate students earning degrees in the arts, business, education, engineering, math, medicine, nursing, ministry, and the natural and physical sciences. The university’s high-impact, experiential curriculum is designed to
provide hands-on, collaborative learning opportunities for students from 45 states and 23 nations. Marian climbed in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Midwestern rankings to be named #10 Most Innovative Regional University, #24 Best Value
University, and #38 Best Regional University. Marian University opened its College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2013, making it the first new school of medicine in the state of Indiana in 110 years. Marian’s national champion varsity athletic programs
include the 2012 and 2015 NAIA Football National Championship, the 2016 and 2017 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship, and more than 40 USA Cycling national championships.
