SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

A family’s reflection on legacy, philanthropy and the call to repair the world

Repairing the world

Ben Swig embraced his Jewish faith by actively practicing Tikkun olam, or “repairing the world,” as a reminder we each have a responsibility to leave things better than we found them. His family enthusiastically carries one this practice.

Cissie Swig, Ben’s daughter-in-law, shares, “Our family is guided by social justice and collective responsibility. For generations, we have found meaningful ways to help repair the world and align Jewish and Jesuit traditions. I’m very proud to see each family member, collectively, work tirelessly to leave the world a better place than how they found it.”

With the family’s $1 million gift to support first-generation students with financial need, a legacy of giving finds new life and picks up where Ben left off.

An indelible mark on a grateful school

Just the mention of a name can turn heads on the SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ campus. It’s a name that has woven together the fabric of academic excellence and the Jesuit tradition: Benjamin “Ben” Swig.

Ben’s storied history at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ began in the 1960s. His strategic vision of the university’s future was so instrumental that SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ named its largest student residence hall, Swig Residence, in his honor while he was serving as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. It was a testament to his deep connection to SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½’s Jesuit-based learning and his humble but powerful influence on the student community.

Ben’s grandson Steven says, “He could see the beauty of what an education can be. He recognized that within the Catholic Church the Jesuits are the blooming rose of the educational system.” Steven adds, “His belief in education was really a belief in human potential. He felt that when people are given room to grow — intellectually, spiritually and personally — they can surprise even themselves with what they contribute to the world. That conviction still guides our family.”

Alumni recall Ben’s blinding generosity during their student years: his impromptu purchases of entire student fundraising raffle booklets; hosting students at events with Tony Bennett, Shirley Temple and Eunice Shriver; and countless invitations to dine at the Fairmont San Francisco to “counterbalance” meals at the student cafeteria.

Lucas Hedfond fondly recalls a quote by his great-grandfather Ben from that time, “…It’s no secret that SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ means a great deal to me. It challenged me, and I saw an opportunity to help one of the most important areas of American life, namely higher education for young people.”

Lucas expounds on Ben’s words, “That’s the remarkable thing about SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½. It doesn’t just educate students, it awakens them. It invites them to see their own capacity for leadership, compassion and service. And when that spark is lit, it tends to stay with you for life.”

Great-granddaughter Casey Swig-Sedlack reflects, “That’s what my family believes in, and that’s what SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ nurtures each day — using what we learn to help others find their way. Yes, academic excellence can be your lighthouse, but what gives that light purpose are the values that shine through. Let’s not only see the good in the world, let’s make a personal choice to create more of it.”

A family's connection to the Jesuit tradition

Lucas shares, “The bridge to the Jesuits from Tikkun olam is the idea that a service of faith is inseparable from the promotion of justice. I believe this is one of the reasons that Ben felt such a strong affinity to SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and the Jesuits.” He adds, “The Jesuit call to seek a greater good — the magis — resonated with him deeply. It encouraged him to think beyond what was comfortable and toward what was right.”

Casey continues this connection, “The idea of contributing to something meaningful — something that promotes human welfare, social well-being and justice — is so important to our family across all generations. It ties us together so strongly. It’s something we can all get behind. At the same time, we have a deep passion for our family history. To honor it all through this scholarship in perpetuity is a heartwarming way to, in turn, honor Ben’s legacy.” She adds, “It’s also a reminder that our choices ripple outward. When we choose generosity, we choose hope — and hope is something worth passing on.”

Continuity and renewal

Ben Swig’s imprint at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ is visible in brick and spirit. As chair of the Board of Trustees, he helped guide the University through a rapidly changing era in the 1960s and ’70s. Despite the decades since his passing in the 1980s, the family recalls him as a force of quiet generosity — someone who believed institutions such as SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ could be levers for social good.

A philanthropic legacy

The Benjamin H. Swig Family Endowed Scholarship — designated for undergraduate scholarships for first-generation college students with financial need — is a powerful extension of the family tradition. It reflects a belief that the world is in need of repair and that one of the best ways to repair it is by equipping the next generation of leaders and thinkers with access to a holistic education.

Along with preference given to first-generation college students who demonstrate financial need, recipients will also be actively engaged in volunteer or extracurricular activities aimed at improving their community, protecting the environment or promoting social equity.

Why is the world in need of repair? Many would say the answer lies in structural inequities — educational access, economic opportunity and social mobility — in spite of societal progress.

What can we do about it? By investing directly in students to attend college, this named scholarship opens doors to talent previously sidelined. It is, in every sense, an act of faith in human potential and human dignity.

Steven says, “As a SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ School of Law graduate myself, I learned the importance of preparing students to do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. When it comes down to it, a college education isn’t about how to get a job — it’s about how to enrich the person. By strengthening the whole person in this way, we can keep repairing the world.” He adds, “When you lift up a student, you lift up the communities they will one day serve.”

Empowering first-generation scholars

SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ fulfills its mission of serving the communities of which it is part, including underserved populations. Students will carry not only academic preparation but the moral and ethical formation that a Jesuit education emphasizes.

Lucas says, “Yes, my great-grandfather was humble, yet I feel this scholarship would bring him great joy on behalf of the students who might benefit from it. And now? Well, my son is at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ now, and I see how the university continues to embody the heart and spirit of what an education can, and should, mean to us all.” He adds, “It’s deeply moving to see the continuity — four generations witnessing the same call to serve, to learn and to lead.”

First-generation students often face unique hurdles — financial constraints, lack of family precedent for college navigation, and fewer resources to draw upon. By focusing the gift on those with the greatest financial need, the Swig family and SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ signal a commitment to inclusive excellence.

As the first scholars emerge, they will carry a dual legacy: the Swig family’s philanthropic vision and SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½’s Jesuit commitment to forming “people with and for others.” A person is strengthened by their community and, in turn, called to serve others — especially the marginalized and poor.

“We hope this gift can contribute to the living SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ narrative,” Casey says, “Because when you invest in possibility, you help repair the world one student, one community, one story at a time.” She adds, “Hope grows when you nurture it.”

Belief in a world without boundaries

This gift is a bridge between past and future, tradition and innovation, privilege and promise. In the years ahead, we will hear from the scholarship recipients themselves — how this support might have guided their trajectory. Because repairing the world begins in the classrooms and dorms by students who know they belong — and with a family who believed in them even before they arrived.

Steven says with warmth, “We hope, in some small way, to add even more mortar to the bricks of this student community — helping to strengthen what already makes SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ so special. A gift of this kind is a gift to human enrichment — it helps personify the greatness of what’s possible for us all in an unwritten future ahead.”

He adds, “When we support students, we can reinforce a more compassionate and just society — one brick, one scholar, one act of faith at a time.