Charles C. Chapman Legacy Society

06/04/2026

When Kimberley Kasper ’92 brought her son Alex Bartels ’26 to campus for the first time, she found herself describing a place more from memory than from what stood in front of her. Her old dorm, the library, the dining hall, the building she worked in were all gone, reshaped by decades of growth. “The transformation is incredible,” she said. But the feeling she remembered was still there.

Kimberley arrived at Chapman not knowing a single person. What struck her most was how quickly that changed. “I was surprised by how warm and welcoming everyone was from the moment I arrived on campus,” she said.

From Gamma Phi Beta in '92 to Phi Kappa Tau in '26, Kimberley Kasper and son Alex Bartels share how the Chapman University spirit bridges generations.

06/02/2026

Janeen Hill Built Crean College by Challenging Everything — Including Herself
The founding dean grew Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences into Chapman’s second-largest academic unit

Janeen Hill used to dread raising her hand. Long before she led Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, she sat in faculty meetings too nervous to ask a question. "I decided that was absolutely

05/28/2026

After a national search, Provost Mike Ibba announced Antony Page as the next dean of the Dale E. Fowler School of Law.

Page most recently served as dean of the Florida International University College of Law in Miami and is an internationally recognized scholar on corporate law and social enterprise.

“Antony’s global perspective and accomplishments as a leader and academic have uniquely prepared him to lead the world-class Fowler School of Law,” Ibba said. “His track record of helping students become practice-ready and prepared for the complexities of the law today make him the perfect fit for Chapman.”

After a national search, Chapman University Provost Mike Ibba announced Antony Page as the next dean of the Dale E. Fowler School of Law.

05/26/2026

On April 30, the Chapman community showed up and then some. Giving Day brought together alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends for 24 hours of giving that surpassed its goal of 1,000 gifts.

The number tells one story, but our students tell a better one. Every day brings the privilege of watching Chapman students do extraordinary things. Giving Day is the moment the entire Chapman Family gets to be part of making those moments possible by opening doors, fueling discovery, and changing the trajectory of students’ lives.

On April 30, the Chapman community showed up and surpassed the Giving Day goal of 1,000 gifts!

05/25/2026

05/22/2026

And so Commencement weekend begins. Congratulations to all our 2026 graduates!

05/21/2026

When Olivia Mello ’20 was in eighth grade, she wasn’t searching for a perfect college campus. She was searching for a sound.

Scrolling online, she found a video titled Beyond the Notes featuring Chapman University’s Dr. Grace Fong, the head of piano studies. Olivia had been studying piano since she was six, and something about the way Dr. Fong taught made the future feel real. “If college is anything like learning from this lady here, I want to be a part of it,” Olivia said.

Years later, when Olivia was accepted to Chapman, it wasn’t a generic admissions message that sealed it. Dr. Fong emailed her personally and invited her to travel to Italy that summer to perform and attend master classes at the Semper Music International Festival. Olivia’s first time seeing Chapman’s campus in person would come later, during orientation week, but by then, her decision was already made.

How first-gen Chapman University alum Olivia Mello went from piano performance in the Conservatory of Music to Yale Law.

05/19/2026

When Adam Kalawi ’14 first arrived at Chapman University, he did not walk onto campus searching for a direction. He came with a goal he had held since childhood: to become a doctor.

Kalawi was the fourth of his siblings to attend the university, and his earliest memories of campus go back to tagging along during summers when his sister worked at Camp Chapman, a previous on-campus summer camp for kids.

Even before he enrolled, Kalawi experienced the kind of personal support he would later describe as Chapman’s defining strength. In eighth grade, while working on a science fair project about how soda and juice erode teeth, a Chapman biochemistry professor heard about his project through Kalawi’s sister. The professor offered him an old pH meter and supplies to borrow.

“I can’t think of a lot of other places that would be so in tune with their students’ needs that they weren’t just aware of the students themselves, but let alone their family,” Kalawi said. “It’s simply amazing how much these professors care.”

Adam Kalawi ’14 credits Chapman University’s mentorships and hands-on research for preparing him to succeed in medicine and education.

05/14/2026

When Dilan Mistry ’21 arrived at Chapman University in Fall 2017, he did not come to test the waters. He came with a plan. He had already started a small advertising business in high school, but he knew he wanted to build something bigger than freelance jobs.

The decision to attend Chapman came into focus before he even started college. “I knew I needed to be at Chapman to seriously follow and achieve my goals,” Mistry said.

Chapman University alum Dilan Mistry leveraged his school experience and connections to successfully build his commercial production company.

05/12/2026

On April 30, the Chapman community will come together for Giving Day — a 24-hour online fundraising event where every gift to the Chapman Fund will directly fuel student success. This year, your gift to the Chapman Fund can support general scholarships, scholarships within a college or school that means the most to you, Chapman Athletics in honor of a team or coach, or the area of greatest need. Your gift provides the resources for students to pursue research, build faculty mentorships, and chase dream careers.

Here, we highlight five students who are a testament to what becomes possible when our community invests in its own. Help us reach our goal of 1,000 gifts on April 30.

On April 30, the Chapman community will come together for Giving Day to fuel student success!