Universities Begin Historic Fund-Raising Campaigns

Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger is announcing today a $4-billion fund-raising drive, which would be the largest in higher-education history, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The campaign, running through 2011, began in 2004 with a two-year quiet phase and has netted $1.6-billion since that time. The money will support financial aid, new facilities, new programs and research, and faculty. Columbia’s last campaign, ending in 2000, raised $2.79-billion, The Chronicle reports.

The University of California at Los Angeles holds the record for the largest campaign by an institution of higher education, raising $3.05-billion in a 10-year effort.

In other campaign news, the University of Virginia will kick off a $3-billion campaign today, the largest by a public institution. That effort has been in its quiet phase since 2004 and has raised $950-million.

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