Purdue's fund-raising efforts earn national recognition
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University has been honored by a national organization as having one of the most improved fund-raising programs among U.S. educational institutions.Purdue was selected as the recipient of the 2006 Council for Advancement and Support of Education WealthEngine Award for Educational Fund Raising, which honors superior fund-raising programs across the country. Purdue was one of 44 higher education institutions to be honored in several different categories.
Purdue was named to the Circle of Excellence for overall improvement in fund raising. The award citation noted Purdue's progress over the past three years, particularly in its $1.5 billion Campaign for Purdue fund-raising effort that began in 2001. The campaign, which is scheduled to end next July, has raised more than $1.4 billion.
The original goal of the campaign was $1.3 billion, but that goal was raised to $1.5 billion in 2004 when the campaign had already hit the billion-dollar mark.
"It is a true honor to be recognized for our efforts from an organization as prestigious and well-respected among the university community as CASE," said Murray Blackwelder, Purdue's senior vice president for advancement. "This award could not have been possible without the support of our many loyal alumni and friends, who together provide nearly 75 percent of all gifts to Purdue."
The council, commonly referred to as CASE, is a professional organization for advancement professionals who work in alumni relations, communications and development.
Institutions were eligible for the award based upon submission of data to the Council for Aid to Education's Voluntary Support of Education survey for three or more consecutive years. This year 1,246 institutions were eligible for consideration, and judges selected 504 colleges and universities that would be considered for an award.
A complete list of winners is available on the CASE Web site.
Colleges and universities are judged by a panel composed of senior development professionals from educational institutions and CASE volunteers. Judging is blind and based on the data provided.
CASE, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has the largest institutional membership of any nonprofit education association in the world. More than 3,200 colleges, universities and independent elementary and secondary schools in 55 countries around the world are members of the organization.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Murray Blackwelder, (765) 496-2144, mblackwelder@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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