The University of California, Riverside has doubled the amount of money raised in private gifts and pledges over the previous year, Chancellor France A. Córdova announced Wednesday.
In 2004-05, the university raised $20 million in private support. In 2005-06, that number jumped to a record $40.1 million.
"It is highly unusual for a UC campus to double its fund-raising totals from one year to the next," said June Smith, director of development policy and administration at the University of California Office of the President. "It's a phenomenal increase." Smith said that within the UC system, approximately half of all private funds raised go to programs in the health sciences.
In June, Bart and Barbara Singletary and William and Toby Austin together gave $15.5 million in a combined charitable trust to support endowed professorships at UC Riverside in the social sciences, the law, public policy, agriculture and medicine.
"Donors are investing in projects that will have widespread impact for the health and well-being of inland Southern California," Córdova said. "I am grateful to the deans, faculty and the members of our advancement team who have worked so hard to communicate the important educational impact of the campus."
"Philanthropy is increasingly important to the University of California because the state government today provides less than one-fifth of the University's annual operating budget," said Bruce B. Darling, executive vice president for university affairs at the UC Office of the President. "Philanthropy is essential to maintain the University's excellence and student access."
Other recent gifts to UC Riverside include:
. $1.6 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for biomedical student preparation.
. $1.5 million from the W.M. Keck Foundation for environmental research.
. $1.5 million pledge for innovation in teaching.
. $1 million gift for an endowed chair in cancer research
. $1 million gift from the Gluck Foundation for arts outreach.
. $1 million from the Bernard Osher Foundation for a learning program for seniors.
. $500,000 gift from Ron and Margaret Redmond to finish the alumni and visitor's center.
. $500,000 gift from the estate of Rosalie Ketchersid for scholarships.
. A record $450,000 total for the UCR Fund, an annual telephone campaign to alumni.
. $240,000 gift from California Wellness to support the FastStart program.
UCR Vice Chancellor for Advancement Bill Boldt joined UCR in late 2004 after more than a decade of fund-raising success at Cal Poly. He hired UCR's Associate Vice Chancellor for Development Susan Harlow, who then led a reorganization of the development operation.
"That we have been able to accomplish so much so quickly speaks volumes about the generosity of the supporters of UCR and of the vision the Chancellor has articulated," said Harlow, who came to UCR in May, 2005 from Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
Last month, the Chronicle of Higher Education, which covers the nation's colleges and universities, carried a story about how UCR earned a gift from Austin and Singletary that might have gone to other institutions.
"William Austin was being courted by several other universities for donations," Boldt said. "Then he heard that we were creating a medical school. He liked the idea that his money could help the community have better access to quality health care."
Singletary, a mid-life graduate of UCR and Austin's long-time business partner, wanted to support endowed chairs in the social sciences.
"Together they made a powerful difference in UCR's future," Boldt said.
The University of California, Riverside is a major research institution. Key areas of research include nanotechnology, health science, genomics, environmental studies, digital arts and sustainable growth and development. With a current undergraduate and graduate enrollment of more than 16,600, the campus is projected to grow to 21,000 students by 2010. Located in the heart of Inland Southern California, the nearly 1,200-acre, park-like campus is at the center of the region's economic development