Volume 10, Number 4, 2001

The faces of giving

"We are all beneficiaries of those who have helped us, who've guided us, who've nudged us in different directions when we

needed that nudging, who have encouraged and inspired us," historian David McCullough told the audience of nearly 25,000 at UD's 152nd Commencement last May. "And," he said, "I include in that, those who went before us, those figures from the past to whom we owe so much."

This year's Report of Private Support recognizes the many friends of the University of Delaware who have helped to shape, encourage and support UD's mission. The contributors are diverse; representing a sampling of different reasons why and numerous ways to support the University of Delaware.

Significant gifts and pledges from individuals, corporations, corporate foundations and private and family foundations have contributed to the continuing success of the Campaign for Delaware, the first comprehensive fundraising effort in the history of the institution. This fall, the total gifts, pledges and bequest commitments to the Campaign for Delaware surpassed $267 million, exceeding the original $225 million goal by more than $45 million, three years into the five-year campaign.

Total giving for Fiscal Year 2001 reached a record high of $44,990,517, an increase over the previous year's record amount of $44,784,157.

Corporate giving

Corporations and foundations provide vital funding to the University. Total support from corporations, foundations and other organizations (including government sources) for 2000–01 reached $26,169,135. This is an increase of $5,431,128, or 26.2 percent, over total support in 1999–2000.

Of this year's total, $10,954,694 came from corporations and corporate foundations, $13,265,222 came from private and family foundations, and $1,949,219 came from other organizations (including government sources).

Planned giving

The University's Planned Giving program promotes both current and deferred major planned gift commitments and helps the University meet present and future needs.

Through The Legacy Society, the University recognizes the importance of planned gifts over the years and honors planned-giving donors for their generosity. The Legacy Society of the University of Delaware has grown steadily to its current membership of 257. Bricks imprinted with the names of Legacy Society members are included in the Diamond Walkway, which extends from Main Street to the steps of Old College.

Bequests this year were received from the estates of Helen E. Bancroft, Anna Mae Borel, Ellason and Molly Downs, Ann Nields Garstin, William P. and Gladys B. Law, Elizabeth Manchester, Howard L. Robertson, the Hon. Albert J. Stiftel, and David and Nettie Weiner, all from Wilmington, Del.; Lena Evans, Newark, Del.; Virginia Franklin, Balitmore, Md.; Jeanette McDonnal, Seaford, Md.; Agnes Armitage Reed, Washington, D.C.; Edward F. and Elizabeth G. Rosenberg, Rochester, Minn.; and Harry Williams, Oxford, Pa.

Total bequest dollars received for the fiscal year were $11,781,523. Irrevocable trusts, charitable gift annuities, pooled income fund gifts and other irrevocable planned gifts, such as life insurance gifts, totaled $2,446,277.

Planned gifts can provide a source of income to family members for years, provide tax advantages and honor loved ones. For example, in addition to the gifts she made throughout her lifetime, Isabel Faucett Okie (1905–1997) also included the University as a part of her estate and financial plans. After establishing the Marian R. Okie Fellowship in Marine Studies in 1987, Mrs. Okie added a provision to her estate plan that would one day substantially enlarge this endowment. She also created a special type of charitable trust that would pass income to her son and then, ultimately, be distributed in large part to the University of Delaware.

Gifts-in-kind

Sometimes, the University receives gifts-in-kind. Two significant collections of art were recently given to the University in this category.

In the fall, the University received the Frederick and Lucy S. Herman Collection of Native-American Art, which includes more than 200 works of Inuit art. Many depict the everyday lives and traditions of these Native Americans over the span of three generations.

In February, the University announced the gift of Atlanta art collector Paul R. Jones. The Paul R. Jones Collection includes about 1,000 artworks by African-American artists. When he made his gift, Jones cited UD's resources to professionally conserve and exhibit the vast array of paintings, drawings, photographs, lithographs and sculpture.

"The collection that I have put my life into developing I wanted the public to be able to access; I wanted scholars to have it for research; I wanted students to have access to it to use it as a teaching model," Jones said, "and that was the commitment I got."

Annual giving

Pledges were made by 7,729 alumni and their parents through the Campaign for Delaware's annual giving phone program, raising $680,558 and increasing the average annual pledge by $10 from the previous fiscal year. More than $175,000 was raised also through direct mail solicitation.

Despite long hours, being "on call" and 85-hour work weeks, Damian Andrisani, AS '95, a resident orthopedic surgeon at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, still found the time to increase his support of UD and become a member of the 1743 Society.

Making their first gift to the University before they even graduated seemed like the natural thing to do for Erica DiFusco and Kathryn Warner, both BE 2001. During their last semester at UD, after they had accepted job offers, they wanted to help improve the Management Information Systems programs in the College of Business and Economics. They established a student-nominated annual award to be given to a senior who demonstrates leadership and teamwork in these programs. DiFusco characterized the new award as a way to "give back" and say thanks to UD.

In addition to these gifts, the University received more than $340,000 from company matching gift programs matching gifts from 1,177 people. The University also received more than $8,000 in gifts through the UD web site [http://www.udel.edu/makeagift].

Through the annual Employee Campaign, more than $116,000 was raised this year from more than 240 UD employees.

One such donor is Margot Hsu Carroll, assistant to the executive vice president of the University and a Delaware Diamond.

"My job is great and I love it here," Carroll said. Like her UD co-workers who contribute to the University's Annual Fund, Carroll knows that many corporations and foundations use the percent of employee and alumni donor participation as a benchmark when deciding whether to give to an institution. U.S. News & World Report and other rating services consider the participation rate of alumni and employees as a major indicator of alumni and staff satisfaction.

Faculty support

An important goal of the Campaign for Delaware is the addition of endowed professorships. Endowed faculty chairs are a powerful tool for recruiting, retaining and rewarding distinguished faculty in the increasingly competitive world of higher education. In the last nine months, 14 new named professors–recognized for their scholarship, research and academic excellence–have been added to the University of Delaware faculty, bringing the total number to nearly 70.

Four endowed professorships have been made possible by the planned giving of Edward F. Rosenberg, AS '29, '30M, and his wife, Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg. As well as providing for graduate fellowships and program support in the Department of Art Conservation, they have made possible the following named professorships:

Ralph J. Begleiter, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Communication, has served since July 1999 as UD's first Distinguished Journalist in Residence. He brings more than 30 years of broadcast journalism experience to the classroom for students interested in international affairs and broadcast journalism. For almost two decades, Begleiter was CNN's world affairs correspondent, writing and producing thousands of news reports and programs aired worldwide. Based in the Department of Communication, Begleiter has a joint faculty appointment in the Departments of Political Science and International Relations and English.

Bernard L. Herman, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Art History, and the director of the new Center for American Material Culture Studies, specializes in American material culture, focusing on American vernacular architecture, folk and ethnic arts and historic preservation. A member of the UD faculty since 1977, he is co-founder of the Vernacular Architect Forum and a senior research fellow in UD's Center for Historic Architecture and Design, as well as a faculty member in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, the art history department and Winterthur Program in Early American Culture.

Frank Scarpitti, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, has been a member of UD's faculty since 1967. He has conducted research in the areas of mental health treatment, juvenile delinquency, corrections, organized crime and female criminality. Currently, he works in the area of drug treatment program evaluation.

Jewel H. Walker, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Theatre, came to Delaware in 1989 as a member of the Professional Theatre Training Program. Walker's teaching focuses on movement, mime and acting. He has toured nationally as a solo mime and was a regular performer (MimeWalker) on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

An endowed position supported by funds provided by the late Judge Hugh M. Morris and the Morris family led to the designation this year of Susan Brynteson as the May Morris Director of Libraries of the University of Delaware.

Robert W. Gore, EG '59, and Sally Gore, CHEP '76, also made a gift to the Department of Chemical Engineering. It is anticipated these funds will support three endowed professorships.

Student support

Private support also raises the level of scholarship support for undergraduate students and fellowship support for graduate students.

Scholarships and awards enable the University to attract the most gifted students to campus and to confer educational opportunities on talented and deserving students who might not otherwise be able to attend the institution.

Fellowships advance the research and teaching missions of the University by providing support to those exceptional graduate students who are the future's scientific, business and professional leaders.

Scholarship support often has a personal meaning. Kevin Gregson, AS '81, recalled the affinity his grandparents had for community service through their involvement in Newark's Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Co. He directed his gift to benefit members of the volunteer fire company, the auxiliary and members of their families. Three students currently are receiving financial support through Gregson's memorial to his grandparents.

Likewise, the Gilman family of Wilmington, Del., has had a longstanding family tradition of community service and support for the University. Marvin Gilman (1922–1998), a strong advocate for affordable housing, was an economist, lawyer and developer, as well as a distinguished member of UD's College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy. His wife, the former Muriel Edelstein, has a lifelong involvement in community organizations and has been a consultant for more than a decade to the College of Health and Nursing Sciences. Together, they helped provide funds for scholarships.

This year, their grown children, Martha, AS '74, and Peter, have continued the legacy by joining Muriel in endowing a fund to support a full scholarship. The recipient, Shana Payne of Newark, Del., said these funds were a critical factor in her decision to pursue advanced studies at UD.

Academic support

Gifts from a range of donors also support a variety of academic events and programs.

James B. O'Neill, director of the University's Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, has been teaching economics at UD for 20 years. He has long promoted empowering teachers to teach economics to students early in life. Now, with a pledge to endow a fund to expand the master of arts program in economic education and provide fellowships to graduate students, he is giving support to his passion.

Fred Sargent of Pittsburgh, father of UD senior Evan Sargent, CHEP 2002, is a member of the Delaware Diamonds Society. Sargent has designated a portion of his annual contribution to the Paul Wise Executive-in-Residence Fund in the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. The fund sponsors lectures, workshops and consultation sessions by a recognized leader in hospitality management.

The Campaign for Delaware also is raising funds for academic support, particularly in the area of discovery-based learning. Simply put, discovery learning is learning by doing and involves study abroad, internships and undergraduate research.

The first study-abroad program nationally was started at UD in 1923. Today UD ranks 12th among colleges across the nation for the total number of students participating in study abroad and percentage of participation in study-abroad programs. The total number of UD students studying overseas in 2000–01 was 1,049.

What the gifts mean to the University

"Private support helps the institution reach its full potential, ensuring that students of the 21st century have every opportunity to find success in a changing world," Robert R. Davis, vice president for development and alumni relations, said. "Unrestricted annual support from alumni and friends is the lifeblood of the University of Delaware. These gifts allow the University's Board of Trustees and administrators the freedom to respond to the new opportunities for excellence as they carry out the daily operations of the University."

"One of the ways we will measure the success of the Campaign for Delaware is by the increase in alumni participation," said Kevin R. O'Brien, associate vice president for development. "We want to drive home our message that alumni annual gifts to the University, regardless of amount, are vital to the continued success of the institution. Philanthropy is an indispensable component of the University's culture.

"It can be argued that there is an element of self-interest in supporting your alma mater. Since people in the business of ranking colleges equate a high percentage of alumni giving with a quality institution, an alumnus is increasing the value of his or her degree by participating as a donor," O'Brien said.

Gifts turn visions into reality

Another face of giving is the capital support, both private and state, that has made possible two new major facilities on campus. This year, the MBNA America Career Services Center and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute opened their doors.

MBNA America Career Services Center

The MBNA America Career Services Center, designed to provide the highest quality comprehensive career services to all students and alumni of the University of Delaware, officially opened in April 2001. The Career Services Center was built with $3 million contributed by MBNA America as part of its $25 million pledge to the Campaign for Delaware.

The facility doubles the space available for career services, includes an outstanding employer interview area and upgraded technology enhancements. Employers and students benefit from the specially designed meeting and resource areas.

In February 2000, when the University of Delaware announced the MBNA America pledge, Charles Cawley, chairman of MBNA, said, "We consider this support to the University of Delaware to be our way of thanking the University. And, it is, from our perspective, absolutely good business. There are 1,400 graduates of the University of Delaware that work very hard making our company very successful. This is our way of saying thank you for those 1,400 people, for the students who work for us and the 700 people who have attended the University of Delaware on MBNA scholarships."

Located at 401 Academy Street, the MBNA Career Services Center is part of a 38,000-square-foot office space, which also includes the departments of Human Resources and Public Safety. It is attached to a three-tier parking garage adjacent to the Perkins Student Center. The parking garage provides direct access to the center for employers and students.

 Delaware Biotechnology Institute

The new 72,000-square-foot building housing the Delaware Biotechnology Institute (DBI), a research center designed to keep the state of Delaware in the forefront of the life sciences revolution, was formally dedicated on April 26, 2001. The facility includes 23 laboratories, six state-of-the-art research instrumentation centers, 15 common equipment laboratories and several conference areas. The institute's primary areas of research–agriculture, human health, marine ecosystems and biomaterials–are viewed as vital to the prosperity of the state.

"This handsome, elegant facility was designed for scientists by scientists," said University President David P. Roselle. "It serves as a reminder and a very real symbol of a partnership between the state of Delaware, higher education institutions and the private sector." The partnership is sound, Roselle said, because each of the three groups represented share equally in the goals of "good science, quality education and enhanced job opportunities."

"It is clear that the astounding discoveries in biotechnology promise to improve human well-being and the overall quality of life as much as any previous human achievement," DBI Director David S. Weir said.

The role of DBI is to advance the state's biotechnology capabilities by creating a network of people and facilities to enhance existing academic and private sector research, to catalyze unique cross-disciplinary initiatives in research and education and to foster entrepreneurship. At full operation, research at DBI will be led by a group of about 25 UD faculty members, and the facility will be home to about 160 people, including graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

A new statewide biomedical research partnership to encourage human health research in the First State was announced this fall at DBI. The research partnership is made possible by a $5.8 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Delaware program is one of only 24 in the nation to be awarded this year.

Already, job creation through DBI in cooperation with the Delaware Technology Park "has exceeded our expectations," with about 35 companies in the park, Weir said. "A collaboration with a pharmaceutical company has been executed, three start-up companies are in residence, a venture capital group has moved in, and a women's health-care company has made the institute its corporate headquarters."

"By 2005," he said, "we expect to have contributed to the generation of about 2,000 new jobs and between $100 million and $150 in million revenue."

P. S. du Pont Hall expansion

With the addition of two new programs–environmental engineering and computer engineering–and a new Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the College of Engineering simply needs expanded facilities. As a result, the University has initiated, at a cost of $25.2 million, the construction of a 65,000-square-foot, three-story addition to P. S. du Pont Hall to provide more space for the College of Engineering.

As a catalytic center for advanced materials, the expanded P.S. du Pont Hall will include incubator laboratories that will encourage interdisciplinary, collaborative projects. It will contain 38 laboratories, 20 faculty and graduate student offices, two departmental office suites and the dean's suite.

The first floor will house a clean room and laboratories for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for research in micro- and nanoelectronics. The second floor will be the home of the new Department of Materials Science and Engineering. The third floor will be shared by those departments and Civil and Environmental Engineering, with an additional 4,000 square feet of laboratory space available to emerging programs, such as new initiatives in bioelectronic interfaces, advanced electronic materials and infrastructure renewal. New laboratories will provide extreme temperature stability, special laminar flow chemical hoods to prevent dust accumulation on surfaces and the humidity control afforded by a state-of-the-art facility.

The P.S. du Pont Hall expansion project is scheduled for completion in spring 2002. Total gift commitments to date total $23.764 million. Significant gifts this year have been received from First State Construction Co., the Marmot Foundation Inc. and Welfare Foundation Inc.

Among the notable individual commitments the expansion project has received are those from Pierre du Pont and Martina Combs '74 Hayward; Thomas L. '60 and Kipp Taylor Gutshall; and Richard E. '63 and Claire Zernoski '65 Hangen.

Summary

This year, the University hosted the Middle States Commission on Higher Education reaccreditation review team. The team's final report offered an extremely positive evaluation of the state of the University of Delaware in 2001, and a 10-year reaccreditation is expected.

UD "has every reason to take enormous pride in what it has accomplished over the past 10 years," the report said. "A decade ago, it was coming out of a period of considerable turmoil. Today, the University of Delaware is a national model for the integration of information technology in every aspect of university life: teaching and learning, research and service, academic support and campus administration."

Some other examples of the team's assessment of UD include the following:

The University of Delaware is also counted among the nation's premier public universities, according to rankings released Sept. 7, 2001, in U.S. News and World Report's special issue "America's Best Colleges 2002."

UD ranks 24th among the top 50 public national universities.

UD's Department of Chemical Engineering was ranked fifth in the nation in a list of top engineering specialty programs also featured in the publication.

In the magazine's list of engineering schools offering the Ph.D., UD was ranked 53rd.

In a separate ranking, the October issue of the Yahoo Internet Life magazine named UD the eighth most technologically advanced university in the nation in its fifth annual "100 Most-Wired Colleges" report.

"Nationally, there is an increased appreciation of the many strengths of the University of Delaware--its faculty, its student body, its research initiatives and its beautiful campus," President David P. Roselle said.

In the last decade, UD has produced four Rhodes Scholars and had alumni named back-to-back MacArthur Fellows. The Class of 2001 alone produced a Rhodes Scholar, a Mitchell Scholar, a Truman Scholar and a member of USA Today's All-USA College Academic First Team.

"The Class of 2005 promises to follow in that tradition of excellence," Roselle said, noting that the freshman class of 3,450 students includes a record 390 who had high school grade point averages of 4.0 and 40 who were valedictorians.

"The University has kept pace with, and in many ways anticipated, the requirements of a world-class center of higher learning," UD Board of Trustees Chairman Howard E. Cosgrove said. "UD faculty members are motivated with appropriate compensation and provided with the working environment and support facilities necessary to perform their tasks. Evidence of all this is visible in the rate at which the University is attracting more and more of the best and brightest students in Delaware and the surrounding region."