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For the third year in a row, the University of California raised a record amount in contributions from alumni and friends, receiving $726.3 million in 1996-97, a $5 million increase from the previous year. The achievement continues the nine-campus UC system's distinction as the leader in philanthropy among the nation's colleges and universities. Based on the Council for Aid to Education's 1996 survey on voluntary support (the most recent for which figures are available), the UC system would be ranked second nationally in private support, following the Salvation Army and ahead of the American Red Cross. Of the $726.3 million contributed in 1996-97, Berkeley received $182.4 million; UC Davis, $44.1 million; UC Irvine, $30.2 million; UCLA, $231.8 million; UC Riverside, $27.4 million; UC San Diego, $58.1 million; UC San Francisco, $116.3 million; UC Santa Barbara, $17.6 million; UC Santa Cruz, $13.5 million; and systemwide programs, $4.8 million. Regents Chair Meredith J. Khachigian expressed gratitude for the volunteers, friends and UC staff whose hard work led "to another exceptional year of private giving. "The University of California would not be as successful as it is today in serving the needs of students and our society without the continuing strong support of our many donors," she added. UC President Richard C. Atkinson said, "This incredible outpouring of support from institutions and individuals alike is testimony to the high regard in which the university is held. The only adequate way to express our appreciation for the generosity, loyalty and public-spiritedness of our alumni and friends is to redouble our efforts to see that UC remains one of the great universities of the world." Atkinson, however, stressed that UC's fundraising results don't diminish the need for continued state and federal support, which is the core of the university's budget. Private support represents just 3.6 percent of UC's operating budget, noted Bruce B. Darling, UC vice president for university and external relations. "It is, however, a crucial component of the public-private partnership that has helped the University of California attain excellence," he said. Private support to UC has grown dramatically over the past decade, more
than doubling from about $300 million in 1987-88, Darling said. Cumulatively,
the university has received more than $4.8 billion during that 10-year period,
he said. Sources of Gifts to UC in 1996-97
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