The University of Maryland School of Medicine led the campus to top its annual fundraising goal for the fiscal year ending in June, contributing $43.6 million of the $60.6 million raised by the whole school.
Medical School Dean Donald Wilson, who announced his resignation earlier this year, has more than tripled total grant and other revenues for the school since he came on 15 years ago.
The school has increased fundraising despite an ever decreasing pool of National Institutes of Health funding for medical research. Wilson said he increased the school?s staff, including finding positions dedicated to raising money.
The university surpassed its annual goal of $57.9 million by 5 percent and far exceeded last year?s record total of $53 million. The year closed on a high note, with almost $12.8 million raised in June, the final month of fiscal year 2006.
“We?re very excited that we exceeded what seemed like, a year ago, an extremely ambitious goal,” said T. Sue Gladhill, vice president of external affairs for the university and president and chief executive officer of the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation Inc.
Each of the dental, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and social work schools lead their own fundraising efforts. These efforts compose the total fundraising success of the campus. About half of the more than 13,000 separate gifts came from university alumni, and another 3,500 family and friends donated to help the university recognize the record total. Nearly 1,300 corporate gifts brought in more than $14 million and research gifts generated about $24.3 million.
As the university has grown, so has its need to find additional income sources, campus officials said.
State funding made up just 20 percent of the total budget last year. Fundraising totals have increased fourfold in the past 10 years.
About $9 million of the $60.6 million total is earmarked for university endowment, where it will continue to support the university long into the future.
