Donors gave more than $162 million to the University of Colorado last fiscal year — the most plentiful for the school and its foundation on record, officials said Tuesday.
This means that private contributions to the 55,000-student, three-campus system have climbed close to what the state allocates in public funding.
Only 8.8 percent of CU’s $2.4 billion budget comes from the state, and the philanthropic donors account for 6.8 percent of its overall budget.
Colorado is 49th in the country for tuition and state support for its public higher education institutions.
“State support for higher education has dwindled dramatically in recent years, so private donations are making a huge difference,” said CU president Bruce Benson, in a statement.
Among CU’s big donors last year:
– The ALSAM Foundation’s $11 million contribution to help with construction of the new School of Pharmacy building at the University of Colorado Denver’s medical school.
– The Anschutz Foundation’s $15 million gift to create a Health and Wellness Center to study disease prevention.
CU’s 2007-2008 private donations are by far the largest among the state’s public universities.
Colorado State University raised $79.5 million in private support last year, a 51 percent increase from the year before.
Allison Sherry: 303-954-1377 or asherry@denverpost.com
