October 10, 2002

Increasingly large numbers of CSUS graduates and employees provided private support to the University last year, highlighting a year that saw an estimated $8.9 million in gifts and special revenues, according to the annual report on external funding submitted to the CSU Chancellor's Office last week.

In addition, CSUS generated $71 million in grants and contracts.

Outside funding is increasingly important to the University, especially as the state struggles with budget troubles. As the mantra throughout the CSU system goes: "CSU campuses are now state-supported rather than state-funded institutions."

"Taxpayers provide funding for California public colleges and universities, but we need increasing amounts of outside funding to remain on the cutting edge of our academic programs," says Robert Jones, CSUS vice president for university affairs. "Resource development from non-state sources will continue to be central to the University's capacity to serve its students, and through them, the Capital Region more generally."

The CSUS report shows that gifts from alumni increased 30 percent last year. Gifts from the campus community, meanwhile, increased 60 percent with 270 faculty, staff and emeriti providing support to academic departments, scholarships and general university programs.

Among the corporations providing gifts of both cash and in-kind support were SBC Pacific Bell, Intel, Hewlett Packard, Calgene, Agilent Technologies and Panasonic. Major support from foundations included gifts to the Charter Schools Development Center's projects, an endowment in Chicano studies and $400,000 for the Hydrogeologic Studies Lab.

Also last year, the University's Call Center was completed and took responsibility for the annual fund campaigns of all seven Colleges. That effort led to more than $220,000 in pledges.

The $80 million in total external support represents about one-quarter of the institutional resource base for 2001-02, which was about $322 million. About $194 million - including about $42 million in student fees - was from the state's general fund.

Every CSU campus provides an external funding report to the Chancellor's Office each year at about this time.

The Chancellor's Office reviews the information provided by the campuses and typically makes minor adjustments. A combined CSU system report on external funding is then presented early the following year at a Board of Trustees' meeting.

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