Annual Fund Reaches 18% Goal
The Annual Fund is pleased to announce that the alumni participation goal of 18% was met for 2006. Thanks to the dedicated and ever-growing loyal alumni, an unprecedented total of 20,760 alumni made gifts in the 2006 fiscal year. This is an increase of 1,431 donors from the previous year and represents the sixth year in a row that the Annual Fund has increased its overall participation rate.
“A key reason for our recent achievements is that more and more alumni have reconnected to their alma mater, creating a new tradition of alumni support.” said Victoria Champion, Executive Director of the Annual Fund. The participation rate is an important metric used nationwide by student applicants, corporations, foundations and guide books that rank universities.
"Ultimately, giving by alumni is a measure of their satisfaction with their academic experience," said Champion. "The more alumni that give back, the higher the University may be ranked in publications such as U.S. News and World Report’s annual issue of America’s Best Colleges."
Alumni dollars also increased in 2006. A total of $4,710,645 was given by alumni to the Annual Fund, an increase of almost $600,000 over the previous year. This important revenue stream helps to keep down the cost of tuition where 8 out of every 10 students depend on some form of financial aid. Annual Fund need and merit based scholarships, facility enhancements and student life improvements are just a few of the many areas that have benefited from alumni generosity.
Donna Arbide, MBA ’95 and Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations and the Annual Fund and Executive Director of the Alumni Association remarked, "The University is so grateful for the major role alumni have eagerly accepted in helping to take this University from being very good to being great."
