Success
Success
Your support of innovative interdisciplinary research and teaching, a range of opportunities for our students, and the university's service mission has helped us to reach new heights.
2008 was an extraordinary year for private support to the university. Our UMass Boston Fund and Chancellor's Council made strides and continued to build a strong foundation for future growth.
Support for research from corporations and foundations has is increased a remarkable 75% since fiscal year 2004, growing from $4.6 million to $8.1 million in 2008. More importantly, the programs made possible by private funds have made significant contributions to the issues of policy studies, health disparities and science education among other fields.
Our Venture Development Center, which opens in March 2009, will bring the innovation economy to an often by-passed area of the city. The VDC has already attracted corporate partners for consultation and major research initiatives that will address in urban health, developmental sciences, science and math learning and computational sciences.
We received the two largest foundation grants in UMass Boston's history. The first, a gift of $2,050,000 to support scholarships for re-entry students and learning through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, came from the Bernard Osher Foundation.
The second, an $8.2 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, supports the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership at the McCormack Graduate School to assist the Commonwealth as it designs a pioneering plan to balance the many, sometimes competing, uses of the ocean – fishing, maritime shipping, offshore energy, and recreation.
Our planned giving program continues to grow. Approximately $200,000 was raised in 2008 through gift annuities, trusts, bequests and IRA distributions. Our Lampas Society continues to grow, with 10 new members this year.
With the support of private donors we launched opened two new centers at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences: GoKids Boston, which addresses childhood obesity and the Center for Clinical Education and Research a state-of-the-art simulation laboratory to prepare nurses and exercise science professionals.
The university also had the great privilege of establishing its Founders Circle, a recognition society that expresses its gratitude for cumulative major giving from individuals and institutions.
