UT System’s fundraising initiative earns national award

The University of Texas System received national recognition for a fundraising initiative from the Council for the Advancement of Education (CASE), higher education’s largest international association dedicated to serving institutions and setting standards in development, communications, alumni relations and marketing. 

The UT System was awarded a CASE Gold Award for excellence in fundraising in the category of emerging programs, for its innovative initiative to provide new revenue to enhance fundraising operations at UT institutions. 

A panel of national higher education experts in development judged the entries and cited the collaboration between Regents, System administration, university presidents and chief development officers for the launch of the initiative. They applauded the UT System’s attention to the critical role philanthropy plays as an important revenue stream in advancing education, health care and research. 

Last year, the UT System Board of Regents authorized a modest allocation from each institution’s market value of the Long Term Fund to provide additional financial support for their respective fundraising operations. The Long Term Fund is an endowment of more than $8.8 billion composed of philanthropic gifts and earnings to UT institutions and is managed by the University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company (UTIMCO).

The allocation enabled UT institutions to support the hiring of approximately 100 new development professionals and develop new programs and tools to enhance fundraising efforts for student and faculty support and other programs. 

To be eligible for their share of the funding, UT institutions had to commit to a plan to increase endowment gifts annually by a 4:1 ratio of the allocation made to them, after an initial start-up period.

“We’re deeply honored by CASE’s recognition of how UT institutions, the UT System and Board of Regents worked together to place a greater emphasis on private giving to support each institution’s mission,” said Randa Safady, the UT System’s vice chancellor for external relations. “The Regents’ allocation comes with a commitment by UT institutions — with measurable milestones along the way — to grow their endowments, which ultimately means that the people of Texas and beyond will benefit from discoveries and advancements supported through philanthropy.”

CASE received 3,204 entries from 676 higher education institutions and independent schools worldwide and awarded gold, silver and bronze awards in a large number of categories ranging from fundraising to digital communications.

About The University of Texas System
Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking basic, applied and clinical research, and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States. With 14 institutions and a projected enrollment of more than 234,000 students, the UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates approximately two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public institutions in Texas. The UT System’s operating budget for FY 2018 is $18.3 billion, funded in part by $3.6 billion in sponsored programs from federal, state, local and private sources. With more than 20,000 faculty – including Nobel laureates and members of the National Academies – and nearly 80,000 health care professionals, researchers, student advisors and support staff, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.