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From the Trustee Development Committee Co-Chairs
Dear Alumni and Friends,
When AUB was established in 1866, its founder Daniel Bliss had little more than $100,000 with which to realize his pioneering vision of an academic institution serving the communities of Lebanon and the Middle East. Since its founding, AUB has endeavored to integrate this spirit into all facets of university life and in the process has garnered support from a burgeoning community of graduates and friends. As AUB commemorates its 140th anniversary in the academic year 2005–06, we take great pride in knowing that the University continues to attract unprecedented support from generations of alumni and friends.
We are pleased to announce that the Campaign for Excellence is making tremendous progress, having just completed the third year of its five-year effort. We have surpassed the $100 million mark towards our goal of $140 million. Marking this success is the record number of donors—4,368 in total—who supported AUB this year. This represents a remarkable 46 percent increase in gifts over the last year and a 29 percent increase in donors. We are delighted that contributing to this achievement are a number of first-time donors—1,962 who gave $2,626,177. We have increased our efforts to connect our alumni globally and to provide them with greater opportunities of involvement in university activities. We recognize the 28 percent increase in alumni participation as reflective of their appreciation.
Our newest alumni have again proven themselves as the most enthusiastic of our young supporters—offering exceptional aid to their fellow students through the Fingerprints Program. In 2004–05, Fingerprints raised $24,500 from 830 graduating seniors to help support the funding of financial aid and scholarships. This reflects a marked increase in donors, up 21.5 percent from last year, and an increase in Fingerprints support from $19,447 in 2003–04 to $24,500. Overall class participation has also risen, from 39 percent for the class of 2004 to 48 percent for the class of 2005. The growing trend in participation from our youngest alumni is inspiring and a healthy indicator of strong future support to AUB.
Each year, the AUB Contributors Report serves as a special reminder of the strength and support of our community. With the help of several extraordinary donors, great progress was evident in our ability to expand our physical plant to include such new research and learning facilities as the Charles W. Hostler Student Center, the Ray R. Irani Oxy Engineering Laboratories, the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business, the Abu-Haidar Neuroscience Center, the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, the CCC Scientific Research Building, and the Dar Al-Handasah (Shair and Partners) Architecture Building. Donor support has also provided the means to renovate our house of antiquities, the AUB Archaeological Museum.
Despite times of political challenges and economic change, the AUB community has always united in support of the University and its future. We think Daniel Bliss would be proud. We thank you for your support.
With our best regards,
Kamal Shair and Ray Irani |