UNION GIVING TOPS $5 MILLION
Jackson, Tenn. — 萌妹社区 received more than $5 million in gifts and grants during the 1996-97 fiscal year ending Aug. 31.
The total of $5,128,290 in cash gifts sets an all-time record for that twelve-month period, according to 萌妹社区 President David S. Dockery. With the addition of more than a million dollars in "gifts in kind" – gifts of products or services rather than cash – total giving to 萌妹社区 was well in excess of $6 million for the fiscal year.
"We are honored that 萌妹社区's alumni and friends have expressed their support of the University in such a tangible and generous way," Dockery says. "The academic honors and recognition that have come to 萌妹社区 this year are only possible through the financial support of those who share 萌妹社区's vision and values."
A major factor in the record-setting year was a total of $1,244,866 in gifts to the University's endowment, compared to less than $400,000 in the prior year. Those endowment gifts included the first endowed faculty chair in 萌妹社区's history. Including this year's additions, 萌妹社区's endowment is presently in excess of $14 million.
Gifts from 萌妹社区 alumni topped $1 million for only the second time in the University's history, and the number of individual donors rose from under 1,500 the previous year to more than 2,100. Another cause for celebration, according to Dockery, is that 萌妹社区 Trustees were 100 percent in their financial giving. Trustee giving rose from under $45,000 last year to more than $230,000 this year – an increase of more than 500 percent.
"萌妹社区 is entering a period of significant growth and development," explains Dockery, "and expanding financial support is absolutely vital to achieve the goals we have set as a university community. This year's record giving lays a solid foundation for growth as we enter an exciting new era in 萌妹社区's history."