LSA fundraisers recently topped their five-year Campaign for Michigan goal of $110 million, Dean Edie Goldenberg announced at yesterday's LSA faculty meeting.
Goldenberg called LSA's fundraising success "unprecedented."
"To the best of my knowledge, no other public liberal arts college has ever met this goal," Goldenberg said.
The campaign, which began in 1992 with the intent to increase fundraising throughout the University, has brought about $1.25 billion to the University - a quarter of a billion more than the goal originally set for Sep. 30, 1997.
"This represents a fantastic collaboration between the fundraisers in LSA and in the central administration and the very competent and hard work of Dean Goldenberg," said Vice President for Development Thomas Kinnear.
LSA donations fall into three major categories: $71 million has come from individuals, $12.3 million has come from corporations and $26.7 million will be used to establish foundations within LSA departments. An additional $50 million is anticipated through bequest donations.
Goldenberg said $8.5 million has been put toward LSA scholarships. Students will also see the new funds in the form of increased graduate student support and gifts to astronomy, honors and film and video students.
"The real beneficiaries are the students because this will help us increase the quality of undergraduate education," said Vice President for University Relations Walter Harrison.
As a result of the new funds, LSA faculty will see 10 new faculty awards and the endowment of more department chairs, including one in mathematics.
Goldenberg praised the faculty for the campaign's success.
"The faculty have just been so instrumental in the campaign," Goldenberg said. "They have been the source of the innnovative programming ideas that have received the funding in the campaign."
Chemistry Prof. Thomas Dunn, outgoing chair of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, said individual departmental fundraising allows the faculty to see the profits more directly.
"It's really nice to have units exceed their fundraising goals because it gives them the feeling that they have some money to use for their own goals," Dunn said.
The money also will be used to fund part of the new humanities building and has already been used to restore artifacts in the Kelsey Museum.
Kinnear said the efforts of deans coupled with alumni support account for the success of the campaign.
"There is a tremendous love for the University among the alumni who choose to support the University that they love," Kinnear said.
Harrison said funds will further the University's efforts to improve undergraduate eduation.
"It's clear that we're emphasizing undergraduate education and the liberal arts and that's why, for me personally, it's so great to see support for LSA," Harrison said.