CSU veterinary school gains $42.6 mil. in private donations

Colorado State University (CSU) shattered records in private donations collecting $143.3 million for the university in the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The leading contributor to its fundraising success was the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, which accepted $42.6 million in private giving.

It may be that CSU has started a new era in academic funding-the donation age. Across the academic landscape, class size and tuition has increased since the recession and state funding has decreased. And in this financial year, CSU's donation total surpassed its annual state funding of $97.1 million by nearly 50 percent. And gifts did not just come in million-dollar chunks; 22,000 people-of the 33,716 who donated-gave between $1 and $100.

Coleman Cornelius, director of marketing and communications for the veterinary school, says donations to the veterinary school will support scholarships, teaching, research, facilities and clinical service. The top three donations were directed specifically to animal care and translational research for cancer, orthopedics and reproduction.

> CSU Flint Animal Cancer Center received a $10 million gift from an anonymous donor to benefit canine cancer treatment

> CSU Orthopedic Research Center received $6 million for the Malone Family Foundation for equine orthopedics

> CSU Equine Reproduction Laboratory received $3 million from Bud and Jo Adams to sustain the program's fertility clinic

All three donations specify a One Health approach that the programs should also benefit human medicine as well. "The top three gifts are a testament to the college's increasing expertise and acclaim in treating dogs, horses and other companion animals with naturally occurring disease-and then using the insights gained to improve human medicine," Cornelius says.

CSU has exceeded goals for fundraising for three consecutive years. "These fundraising numbers-along with our record enrollment, rising national rankings, and the success of our graduates and faculty-all indicate that CSU is on the right track in delivering an outstanding education at a reasonable cost," CSU President Tony Frank says in a release.

More than 90 percent-132 of CSU's 141-member class of 2013-received financial aid. In-state tuition for CSU's veterinary program comes in at approximately $104,000; out of state tuition, ranked as one of the most expensive among public veterinary schools, is approximately $208,000. Yet, the percentage of the $42.6 million dedicated to reducing the debt load of CSU's veterinary students will be minimal. Cornelius says the college designated just more than $1 million to scholarships and fellowships. The remaining $41.6 million specifically allocates $1 million to support internships and experiential learning; nearly $10 million to endowments that support the teaching and research of individual faculty members; $27 million to research efforts aimed at developing new medications and technologies; and $4 million for new and renovated research and teaching facilities.

Of course, a million dollars for scholarships is nothing to sneeze at, especially when it comes at a time when many argued that donations for CSU's academic programs would wane in the shadow of the university's $254 million athletic stadium project. Obviously, that theory did not hold true. In fact, the veterinary school's $42.6 million out-funded the capital campaign for the on-campus stadium, which raised $17.7 million during the fiscal year.