The University’s alumni continue to be a driving force behind the University’s development through donations and gifts.
In 2014, over 42,800 alumni made gifts to the University. The average size of a gift was $1,760.
Kathryn Jarvis, associate vice president and chief of staff for the Office of the Senior Vice President, noted the productivity of alumni and said the University is “always at or near the top” in terms of donations from alumni, students and parents compared to other universities.
Jarvis also said of donors contributing to the $3 billion dollar campaign ending June 2013, “almost 40% of the donors who made major gifts ($100,000 or above) were from the state of Virginia.”
Gifts like these help the University develop and maintain services such as scholarships, alumni career services, the Jefferson Trust and alumni events for home football games. Additionally, large donations may enable the school to develop entirely new educational programs.
The largest donation the University has received came from Frank Batten.
“Mr. Batten’s gift of $100 million to establish the Batten School was truly exceptional — it was the first, and, so far, the only — $100 million gift the University has ever gotten, and it established the first new school in decades,” Jarvis said.
The fourth-year trustees program at the University emphasizes alumni donations as well. Donald Fryar, vice president of the 2016 Fourth-Year Trustees, said it is important for alumni to donate early after they graduate.
“Fourth-Year trustees try to encourage early donations because we find that young alumni tend to have stronger ties and relations with undergraduates within the organizations and groups they were recently a part of,” Fryar said.
Alumni are also responsible for funding many events which bring the community closer, strengthening the bonds that classes have with each other and increasing the likelihood that alumni will donate and continue helping the community grow, Fryar said.
“Initiatives such as Lighting of the Lawn and AccessUVa are funded through private donations and we would like to continue to foster these initiatives in the future,” Fryar said.
Jarvis said University alumni who donated over one million dollars during the last philanthropic campaign donated consistently.
On average, alumni give for 22 years following their time at the University.
Read More
U.Va. Alumni Association submits plans for new Alumni Hall building
By Caroline Hagood | 4 hours agoWest said that despite the proposal moving through City Council’s review process, the project is still years away from becoming a reality.
Graduating student leaders reflect on how they impacted the University community
By Jackie Bond and Brandon Kile | 23 hours agoAccording to Lilian Rojas, Board of Visitors student representative and fourth-year Batten student, the Class of 2024 is defined by its resilience.
D.C. baseball legend Ryan Zimmerman to deliver keynote Valedictory address
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoFamously nicknamed “Mr. National” for his many contributions to the Washington, D.C. franchise, Zimmerman is considered one of the most successful alumni in Virginia baseball history.
