University of California officials reported today (Nov. 15) that private support for the 10-campus system reached nearly $1.3 billion over the past fiscal year, marking the seventh year in a row that contributions from individual alumni, charitable foundations, corporate support and other friends of the University have topped the billion-dollar threshold.

“The University of California is a great public university, and this sustained support from private donors across the state is powerful testimony to, and recognition of, the essential contributions that the University makes to the economic prosperity and quality of life of all Californians,” said UC President Robert C. Dynes.

This unprecedented private support includes contributions to both the University and its campus foundations. Charitable foundations donated the largest portion, $526 million, an increase of more than 12 percent over the previous year. Alumni giving reached a record $193 million – up 13.5 percent over the 2005-06 mark. Corporate support totaled $211 million.

Through this generous support, UC was also able to add $280.5 million to its endowment fund. The value of the University’s endowment portfolio for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, now stands at $9.6 billion – the second-largest endowment fund among the nation’s public universities.

“The University needs strong support from both state and private sources to educate California’s growing population of college students, to perform the research that is improving the lives of Californians, and to keep the University affordable for our students,” said Bruce B. Darling, UC’s systemwide executive vice president for university affairs. “Private support is crucial to maintain the University’s excellence and to support its many contributions to California’s economy and society.”

The UC system’s overall budget for 2006-07 was approximately $18 billion. The state provides about 20 percent of UC revenue, including critical support for the core instructional program. However, less than 4 percent of the state general fund budget now goes toward supporting UC – about half of what it was four decades ago.

Of the $1.3 billion, UC campus foundations received a total of $619.3 million, nearly doubling the amount given 10 years ago. This growth is exemplified in recently completed campus giving campaigns, including the 10-year UCLA campaign, which raised $3 billion, and a three-year campaign at UCSF, which brought in $1.67 billion.

The complete Annual Report on University Private Support, which includes campus-by-campus details and examples, is available at www.ucop.edu/uer/instadv/annual/2007.pdf.

Virtually all of the gifts and grants received by the University are restricted by donors to support specific areas of research, teaching and public service. One-half (51 percent) of last year’s private gifts went for health sciences and medicine, with another 14 percent dedicated to arts, letters and sciences. Nearly one-third (31.5 percent) of 2006-07 gifts, $409 million, were directed toward research purposes, while instruction and student support attracted more than $159 million (12.2 percent) and gifts for campus improvements exceeded $182 million (14 percent).

More than $44 million in private support last year was directed toward agriculture and natural resources programs, including research and agricultural advisors who assist farmers and ranchers throughout the state. Private contributions also help fund the University’s many academic preparation and public service programs such as MESA, COSMOS, the Puente Project and UC’s statewide Science and Math Initiative, which seeks to put 1,000 science and math teachers in public schools annually by 2010.

Statewide, the University is also seeing tremendous growth in the number of endowed chairs at its 10 campuses. In 2006-07, an additional 94 endowed chairs and professorships were established. UC now has 1,378 endowed chairs, which are essential in providing the financial support to recruit and retain the best faculty. Overall, approximately one-third of all chairs reside in the health sciences, primarily at UC’s medical schools, and another third belong to letters and sciences.

This year’s annual report on private support noted that “state support for teaching, research and service activities is not sufficient to keep the University competitive and attract the superior faculty required to maintain its stature as a major research institution.”

“Ten years ago, that figure was less than 600 chairs; and it took 100 years for UC to create its first 52 chairs – about the number now established roughly every six months,” Darling said.

UC also saw significant growth in international giving. UC received more than $100 million in support from 94 different countries, approximately two-thirds of which is private gifts and grants. UC also has ongoing initiatives in London and Mexico, and a foundation was established in Hong Kong last year to make private support among UC friends and alumni in China and the Pacific Rim region easier and more beneficial.

This past year, an “Alumni Parent Incentive Program” was initiated to encourage efforts to increase support in this targeted area. The program uses a campus-match component, providing $1 of UC systemwide funding for every $2 of campus funds, devoted to increasing alumni and parent giving. Last year, the UC Office of the President distributed close to $3 million of funding to the campuses.

This momentum in private support is being carried into the new fiscal year. In September, the Hewlett Foundation provided a $113 million gift to endow 100 new chairs at UC Berkeley, the largest private gift in the campus’ history. Also in September, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation awarded $20 million to fund regenerative medicine and stem cell research at UCLA. In July, UC Davis received the largest gift in its history, a $100 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, that will help establish an innovative, multidisciplinary school of nursing.

Widely recognized as the best public research university system in the world, the University of California includes more than 214,000 students, 170,000 faculty and staff and 1.5 million alumni. With 10 campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara, UC offers programs in more than 150 disciplines — many of which are ranked among the top 10 nationally. UC’s five medical centers support the clinical teaching programs of the University's medical and health sciences schools and handle more than three million patient visits each year. The UC system is also involved in managing the three U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories at Berkeley, Livermore and Los Alamos.

For the 2006-07 annual report on private support:
www.ucop.edu/uer/instadv/annual/2007.pdf

To learn more about how you can give to UC:
www.universityofcalifornia.edu/giving

For more information about the University of California:
www.universityofcalifornia.edu