The institutional goals illustrated in this issue of UNLV Magazine reflect a growing, vibrant, service-oriented university — one that is providing key educational, economic, and community-building services to the region. But every year, as the university's list of achievements grows, the percentage of its assistance from the state decreases. Ten years ago, the state provided more than 65 percent of UNLV's annual funding; today, it supplies only one-third.
In that same time, gifts from individuals and corporations have grown exponentially. The UNLV Foundation reported a record $7.7 million in private gifts in 1993-94. This last year, fund-raising efforts topped $29 million.
Private support from our community, our alumni, and our friends around the world is essential as UNLV works to achieve these ambitious goals. We see the effects of private support in virtually every area of university life.
In the last decade, UNLV has constructed 18 buildings and completed significant renovations on six other campus facilities; more than half of the money used to build these projects came from private funding. Last year, 1,500 students received more than $4 million in privately funded scholarships. This spring, six students will participate as paid interns at the Nevada Legislature (see "Students Help Shape Nevada Politics"), thanks to unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund.
But it is not just today's students who find themselves the beneficiaries of donors' gifts. Children as young as six weeks old begin their learning in the Lynn Bennett Early Childhood Education Center. Professionals in the gaming industry turn to the International Gaming Institute, located in the Stan Fulton Building, for cutting-edge training and research related to Las Vegas' largest industry. Historians from around the world find resources in the Lied Library's special collections. These facilities, named to honor the generosity of the donors, have changed how the community interacts with our campus.
Privately funded lecture programs — like the Barbara Greenspun Lecture Series, which recently hosted Daniel Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to the United States — are cornerstones of the university's academic endeavors and the rising sophistication of Las Vegas.
The increasing financial commitments from alumni and friends may suggest that Nevadans are changing their approach to philanthropy. In 2003, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Nevada at the bottom among Western states in terms of discretionary income given to charity. In 2004, however, UNLV received 38 percent more in private gifts than the previous year.
The trend is an indicator that graduates and community members embrace the opportunity to help the university succeed in its efforts as a top academic center and a central force in Las Vegas' economic diversification.
This visionary investment certainly benefits students and others who come to the campus, but it also benefits all of us who live in Southern Nevada. A stronger UNLV contributes substantially to the quality of the lives we all lead here. In this era, it is clear that we all get something from UNLV whether we attend as a student or not.
