SPECIAL EDITION
$16 Million
Volume XC, Special Edition
sluh.org/prep-news
St. Louis University High School | Saturday, September 27, 2025
John Schaefer (left) with friend and classmate, Matt Sciuto photo | Will Linhares
Schaefer ’70 gift to fund Sciuto Institute for Teaching Excellence BY The Prep News Editors
J
ohn Schaefer ’70 made history this evening by announcing the largest single donation in the history of St. Louis U. High. The $16 million dollar gift, made by Schaefer and his wife, Pamela Zilly, will fund the establishment of the Sciuto Institute for Teaching Excellence (SITE), in honor of Schaefer’s classmate and longtime SLUH theology teacher Matt Sciuto ’70. All aspects of the Institute will fit roughly into the core themes of Research, Partnerships, Instructional Coaching, Educational Technology, and Professional Development, all to support the high quality of teachers and teaching at SLUH. The announcement of the gift and of SITE was first made to the faculty during an assembly yesterday afternoon. As the program takes shape, the hope is that it will improve the teaching of content in classes and build on Jesuit principles of education. “How do you change teaching and evolve teaching? To still do what we do most, which is forming young men,” said Schaefer. “At the end of the day, that’s what we do. It’s not to teach you calculus. You can learn calculus in a lot of places. You can learn to speak French in a lot of places. But you can’t learn to be
men for others and develop a moral the Class of 1970, which started sevcompass.” eral SLUH traditions. “Our class did a lot of things for Once a Jr. Bill, always a Jr. Bill SLUH, and we didn’t even realize From 1966 to 1970, Schaefer walked it,” said Schaefer. “We were the first the hallways of 4970 Oakland Ave., ones to come up with Spring Fling, where he was most interested in and we went around to girls’ schools classes that would be considered and invited them to come; we tore STEM today. up the locker room to the studs and “If I think about what I really then refinished it; and we were also liked, it was much more quantitative the first class to help with CASHthings. It was algebra, physics, biol- BAH. And ever since then, we’ve been incredibly connected.” After graduating from SLUH, The faculty are Schaefer attended the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a the fabric of our bachelor’s degree in accounting, and the Harvard Graduate School school, and investing then of Business, where he earned a master’s degree in business administrain them directly tion. Following his long journey of affects the future of schooling, Schaefer began his 30year career in financial services. He St. Louis U. High.” started at E.F. Hutton in 1976 and -Matt Stewart S.J. retired from Morgan Stanley in 2006 as President and COO of the firm’s ogy. I like to frame these classes as Global Wealth Management busiwhat contributed to my career suc- ness. cess. And I would always tell people After retirement, Schaefer served that there’s life success and there’s on several corporate and nonprofit career success, and I think I’ve had boards, including the SLUH Board both. I think everyone underappre- of Trustees from 2017–2023. ciates what you learned about life at Schaefer’s wife, Pamela Zilly, SLUH until you get much later in earned a bachelor’s degree in ecolife.” nomics and American history from Schaefer is a proud member of Connecticut College and continued
onto the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, where she earned a master’s of science degree in industrial management. Zilly had a 32-year career in investment banking and financial restructuring, starting her career at E.F. Hutton in 1977. She later moved to Blackstone in 2009, where she be-
came the first-ever female partner. Now, Zilly serves as treasurer of the American Theater wing and is a member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Schaefer and Zilly met one another at E.F. Hutton, and their relationship unfolded from there. “If I didn’t go to SLUH, I wouldn’t have gone to Notre Dame,
Sciuto teaching a theology class in 2019.
photo | Kathy Chott