More than $128 million raised in FY 09, a 6-percent increase over last year’s total
President Richard L. McCormick noted that nearly 70 percent of the donations to Rutgers, or $89.5 million, is committed to student support, faculty development and academic programs.
“Despite one of the most severe economic downturns in recent history, many individuals, foundations and corporations have continued to express their confidence in Rutgers through their generous support of our programs and initiatives,” McCormick said. “These donations are critical in providing scholarships for students who otherwise could not afford college. Private funding also supports faculty development and research in areas such as global warming, early childhood development and cognitive science.”
The Rutgers University Foundation recorded increases in total donations and pledges from individuals (from $66.2 million to $71.2 million) and foundations ($32.2 million to $40.2 million), while corporate giving declined (from $22.4 million to $17.2 million). Of the total, $4.7 million is unrestricted.
Carol Herring, president of Rutgers University Foundation, said, “It was especially gratifying to see an increase in support from individual donors, despite economic challenges facing families across New Jersey and the country.”
Among the fundraising highlights:
Individual Gifts
• Rutgers received the largest private donation ever: a $13 million anonymous gift to be used for a new building on the Livingston Campus for the Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick and a new endowed chair in business and natural resources.
• Dr. Charlotte Craig and Col. Robert Craig gave $100,000 to the School of Arts and Sciences for the Craig Fund in Germanic Languages and Literatures and in support of visiting scholars to Rutgers in Germanic studies.
• Steve Colson of Warren, N.J., contributed $200,000 in support of the Rutgers Future Scholars program, which offers economically disadvantaged students from Rutgers’ four host communities the opportunity to attend Rutgers tuition free after successfully completing a five-year program beginning in the eighth grade.
Foundation Gifts
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded a $10 million grant for the design and development of the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health.
• The Foundation for Enterprise Development, founded by J. Robert Beyster, pledged $2 million to establish the first endowed professorship at the School of Management and Labor Relations. It was the largest donation ever received by that school.
• The David K. Sengstack Foundation, based in Princeton, gave $750,000 to establish the David K. Sengstack Endowed Graduate Fellowship in childhood studies at Rutgers-Camden.
• The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation gave $1.3 million to the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences for research on the effects of climate change.
Corporate Gifts
• Bank of New York Mellon pledged $1 million for undergraduate scholarships for the Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick. The gift honors Rutgers alumnus Thomas A. Renyi, who retired last year as the bank’s executive chair.
• Merck & Co. gave $750,000 to support the Rutgers Future Scholars Program.
• Johnson & Johnson donated $625,000 for 11 health- and community-related programs in New Brunswick associated with the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; the School of Arts and Sciences; the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy; the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology; the Institute for Health, Healthcare Policy and Aging; the School of Management and Labor Relations; and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.
• AT&T gave $400,000 to fund a high school retention partnership with the LEAP Academy University Charter School in Camden.
Media Contact: Sandra Lanman
732-932-7084, ext. 621
E-mail: slanman@ur.rutgers.edu