Briefings

$103 Million in Private Gifts Breaks Record for Donations

Private support for the University surged ahead during 1998-99 as gifts and private grants reached record levels. Gifts totaled $103.2 million, a twenty-one percent increase over the previous year. Grants from non-governmental sources totaled $107.8 million, compared with $85 million the previous year. The total private voluntary support to the UW was a record $211 million, shattering last year's record of $170.3 million.

The Council for Aid to Education consistently ranks the University of Washington among the top 20 universities in the nation in total private voluntary support. For 1996-97, the most recent national figures available, the UW ranked 14th overall and was fifth among public universities.

Among the most remarkable aspects of the past year is the increase in endowed support for faculty. "People have heard about our 'brain drain' and they want to do something about it," says Marilyn Dunn, vice president for development. "We are grateful for every gift, but the 13 new endowed professorships and 10 new endowed chairs are particularly welcome." These endowments help the University attract and keep top faculty by providing resources beyond state dollars.

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation donated $500,000 to endow a professorship that will support the director of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the UW. The professorship is named for Stanley D. Golub, '36—a longtime friend and colleague of the late Sen. Jackson, '35. Golub died in October 1998. Additional gifts are being sought in Golub's memory to increase the professorship to an endowed chair.

The Bullitt Foundation donated $250,000 to the UW las school to endow a professorship in environmental law named for Stimson Bullitt, whose commitment to ecological values helped guide the foundation to its prominence in the environmental field. William H. Rodgers Jr., was appointed the first holder of the Bullitt Professorship.

Alumni giving to the University also rose to record levels. More than 14 percent of alumni donated last year, and that is the highest in the UW's history, according to Dunn. "We hope to see that number grow in the future," says Dunn. "It's wonderful when people who benefited from a UW education give something back to help current students."