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Friday, April 17, 2015

CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Median university donations

Median donation total 
of highest recieving 20 
schools in country 

University of Michigan 
donation total

$500,000,000

$375,000,000

$250,000,000

$125,000,000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20092010 2011 2012 2013

39.90%

18.15%

15.41%

10.93%
1.85%

13.70%

2004

10%

20%

30%

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Stanford University 
Harvard University
Michigan State University 

University of Iowa
Ohio State University 
University of Michigan

Indiana University 
University of Maryland
University of Illinois (Urbana Champaign)
University of Minnesota

Development participation rates of alumni 

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

$55,365

$103,754

$48,388

$55,438

$108,724

$113,764

$120,280
$119,168

UM Alumni

Non-Alumni

$53,286

$54,660
$59,104

$55,913
$64,367

$66,075
$53,093

Total number of donors who 

donated an amount under $25

‘U’ donors by region

RAISING THE 

FUNDS:

DEVELOPMENT 
AND DONORS 
AT MICHIGAN

INTERNATIONAL

Eight BAMN protesters arrested minutes into regents meeting

$2.72 billion 

raised for student 
support, research, 

other projects

By WILL GREENBERG and 

GENEVIEVE HUMMER

Daily News Editor 

and Daily Staff Reporter

In November 2013, the Uni-

versity launched the latest in 
a series of major fundraising 
campaigns. 
This 
initiative, 

called Victors for Michigan, 
set the largest goal of any fund-
raising campaign launched by a 
public institution of higher edu-
cation: $4 billion.

The University has already 

brought in more than half of 
its goal, with about $2.7 billion 
already raised since the cam-
paign started.

This is the third landmark 

fundraising campaign for the 
University. The first — the 
billion-dollar 
Campaign 
for 

Michigan — ran between 1991 
and 1997 and was the first bil-
lion-dollar campaign launched 

by a public school. Between that 
effort and Victors for Michigan 
was The Michigan Difference, 
which ran between 2000 and 
2008 and raised $3.2 billion.

Though campaigns refocus 

the energy of the University’s 
fundraisers, they do not alter 
the way money is accepted by 
the school. Donors still give to 
whichever college, department 
or program they choose, but any 
money donated within the offi-
cially denoted time frame for 
the campaign counts as money 
for the campaign.

Victors for Michigan set 

three specific funding goals: 
student support, engaged learn-
ing and “bold ideas.” These 
three objectives were decided 
following extensive planning 
meetings in 2011 including 
Jerry May, vice president for 
development, the deans of each 
school and a collection of stu-
dents. The $4 billion figure was 
derived from a compilation of 
the goals set by the individual 
colleges and schools, the Uni-
versity Health System and other 
non-degree granting units.

The goal is to raise $1 billion 

Regents call rally 

for increased 

minority enrollment 

unproductive

By ALLANA AKHTAR 

and MICHAEL SUGERMAN

Daily Staff Reporter and 

Daily News Editor

Within 30 seconds of Univer-

sity President Mark Schlissel 
commencing the University’s 
Board of Regents meeting in 
the Michigan Union’s Ander-
son Room, protesters from By 
Any Means Necessary stormed 

the regents’ meeting table while 
shouting, “On-site admissions 
now; open up, or we’ll shut it 
down.”

Tables were displaced as the 

protesters ran forward, draw-
ing a response from Division 
of Public Safety and Security 
officers present at the meeting. 
Some protesters were tackled 
to the ground, handcuffed and 
escorted from the room.

Officers made eight arrests, 

one of which was a University 
student, according to DPSS 
spokesperson 
Diane 
Brown. 

Seven of these individuals, 
including the University stu-
dent, were adults who have 
been released pending an arrest 

warrant from the county pros-
ecutor. The eighth, a minor, has 
been transported to a juvenile 
detention center.

BAMN is a national coalition 

that works to defend affirma-
tive action, immigrant rights 
and equality. The University’s 
chapter of BAMN previously 
shut down a regents meeting in 
November, where they demand-
ed 
the 
University 
exercise 

on-site admissions at Detroit 
schools.

During that meeting, the 

regents relocated the session 
to the Fleming Administration 
Building.

BAMN had been threatening 

to shut down the regents meet-

ing throughout the week, hand-
ing out fliers across campus to 
advertise the pending demon-
stration.

As the police responded dur-

ing the event, one fallen pro-
tester yelled, “I can’t breathe.” 
Another screamed at the police 
to let her fellow protesters go.

Ultimately, all BAMN pro-

testers were expelled from the 
meeting, and those who were 
not arrested continued to pro-
test in the hallways of the Union 
adjacent to the Anderson Room.

Those remaining also yelled 

“Let them go” — perhaps in ref-
erence to the arrested protest-
ers.

The 
regularly 
scheduled 

regents meeting continued as 
planned after police escorted 
protesters out of the room.

In November, BAMN forced 

the regents to relocate their 
meeting by employing similar 
methods — demanding the Uni-
versity exercise on-site admis-
sions at Detroit schools and 
calling for the University to 
employ the “Texas Top 10 Per-
cent” admissions policy, which 
administrators have said would 
not be feasible for the Univer-
sity.

At the time, the board moved 

to a closed meeting in the Flem-
ing Administration Building for 
“public safety reasons,” raising 
questions about the Universi-

ty’s compliance with the Open 
Meetings Act.

In response to the Novem-

ber incident, the University 
strengthened 
security 
mea-

sures during the meetings, pri-
marily by staffing the meetings 
with uniformed DPSS officers 
as opposed to those wearing 
plainclothes. 
The 
meeting 

rooms were also equipped with 
security cameras and the tables 
were rearranged to prevent pro-
testers from approaching the 
regents’ table.

Additionally, a sign in the 

entrance to each regents meet-
ing now reads, “The Univer-
sity of Michigan recognizes the 

Giving Blue Day 
campaign aims 
to encourage 
philanthropy

By EMMA KINERY

Daily Staff Reporter

Though students may envi-

sion the average University 
donor as an established alum 
or wealthy adult, University 
development officers are trying 
to tap into a new constituency — 
students.

In December, Giving Blue-

day — a University fundraising 
event that generated more than 
$1 million during a 24-hour 
period — devoted special atten-
tion to reaching student donors.

For the last five years, the 

University has tracked data on 
how students donate, as well 
as their knowledge of how the 
University collects and uses 
funds, 
namely 
through 
an 

annual survey administered by 
the Office of Development.

This year, the questions 

on the survey access student 

awareness of University fun-
draising, the impact of small 
donations and ongoing develop-
ment events at the University 
— such as Giving Blueday and 
the University’s $4 billion fun-
draising campaign, Victors for 
Michigan.

Kat Walsh, director of stu-

dent engagement for the Office 
of Development, said the survey 
is important because it helps 
them identify specific areas of 
focus to prompt student dona-
tions.

“There’s 
a 
difference 

between saying ‘I’m aware of 
that and I don’t want to par-
ticipate’ and ‘I didn’t even know 
that that existed and I wish that 
I had,’ ” Walsh said.

Over the course of adminis-

tering the survey, Walsh said 
she’s found that more students 
see the value in small donations, 
such as a $20 gift. However, 
she said the data also points to 
room for improvement, includ-
ing educating students on the 
University’s status as a non 
profit institution. Walsh said 40 
percent of students believe the 
University is for profit.

Proportion of 
alumni donors 

declines, following 
academy-wide trend

By WILL GREENBERG 
and RACHEL PREMACK

Daily News Editor and 

Daily Staff Reporter

Following 
a 
multi-decade 

slide in state appropriations 
for higher education, Univer-
sity development officials are 
increasingly working to make 
up the difference with private 
donations.

State funding to public uni-

versities has decreased signifi-
cantly in the last few decades. 
In the 1970s, state funding 
accounted for roughly 75 per-
cent of the University’s operat-
ing budget. Today, that figure is 
16 percent.

Data from the University, as 

well as the Council for Aid to 
Education national survey, indi-
cate that the University is one of 
the top 20 fundraising schools 
in the country. Despite a dip in 

giving surrounding the 2008 
recession, total donations to 
the University have continued 
to increase over the past couple 
decades.

The University is currently 

in the middle of its sixth major 
fundraising campaign, called 
Victors for Michigan. Cam-
paigns are a period of redoubled 
fundraising efforts where the 
administration identifies spe-
cific areas that need funding. 
Those specific goals are used to 
advertise to donors and attract 
more giving.

As the University continues to 

bring in more donation dollars, 
it finds itself subject to many of 
the same trends faced by schools 
across the country that are also 
turning to private money.

Perhaps one of the most 

notable trends has been the 
transition from alumni donors 
to non-alumni donors. In fiscal 
year 2014, more than half of all 
the University’s donors were 
non-alumni.

Numbers provided by the 

University’s development office 
display this shift over the past 
five years. In FY 2010, 53.4 per-

ADMINISTRATION

Design by Shane Achenbach and Miranda Riggs

See TARGET, Page 3
See TRENDS, Page 2

See PROTEST, Page 3

Development 
strategy taps 
student donors

‘Victors’ drive 
nears $4 billion
funding target

Analysis: ‘U’ 
impacted by 
national trends

INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 105
©2015 The Michigan Daily
michigandaily.com

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S U D O K U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

CL A S S I F I E DS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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