Catholic University gets $3 million , from a Koch foundation and others, to teach principled entrepreneurship

File: Andrew Abela, dean of the business school at Catholic University ( Photo by Jeffrey MacMillan )

A $3 million gift to the Catholic University of America’s Business and Economics program will allow the school to hire four faculty members with an interest in integrating business practices and Catholic social doctrine, the school announced Thursday.

More than half of the gift came from the Charles Koch Foundation, which has given millions to U.S. colleges, and whose family has been generous to conservative political groups, sometimes stirring debate.

The Busch Family Foundation and three business leaders also contributed. “This new $3 million grant puts our school far along the path of creating a cadre of faculty dedicated to research exploring how we can make business and economics more humane,” said Andrew Abela, dean of the school, in a statement. “That’s not only the vision for our school; it’s also a moral imperative that Pope Francis has been championing with great passion.”