September/October 2008
Around the Quads
College Fund Enjoys Record Year
Thanks to the generosity of College alumni, parents, students and friends, the Columbia College Fund raised $13.1 million in the 2007–08 academic year, compared with $11.8 million in the previous year. This upward trend in financial support for the College is paired with a continuing increase in the number of alumni donors.
The Class of 2008 set a record, with 85 percent of its members participating in the senior class gift, compared with 52 percent in 2002. The Parents Fund, under the leadership of its director, Susan Rautenberg, and chairs Robert and Ekaterini Shaw P’09, P’11, also exceeded its goal this year, raising $1.4 million.
The development staff, led by Executive Director of the College Fund Susan L. Birnbaum, worked with Fund Chair Mark L. Amsterdam ’66, Fund Development Chair Geoffrey J. Colvin ’74 and Class Agent Chair Ira B. Malin ’75 and all of the volunteer members of their committees to achieve this result. The Alumni Association, the Board of Visitors, the Class Agents and the dedicated staff of the Alumni Office, under the leadership of Dean of Alumni Affairs and Development Derek Wittner ’65 and Chief Administrative Officer Susan Mescher, also were instrumental in the fund’s success.
Unrestricted annual giving is a vital ingredient in Columbia’s success, providing current and immediately usable funds for the College’s many operations. The largest such application of unrestricted annual giving is financial aid, preserving need-blind admissions and full-need financial aid. Annual giving also bolsters the student services and activities that enhance the quality of undergraduate life, and fortifies and enriches the Core Curriculum.
Gifts to the Columbia College Fund count toward the $4 billion goal of the Columbia Campaign, which launched in 2005. As of August 11, more than $2.85 billion had been raised in the campaign.