Published: Sept. 8, 2016

Ƶ students helps Sanchez Elementary students with STEM projects as part of the El Pueblo Magico program. (Photo by Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado)Private donations to the University of Colorado Boulder rose about 29 percent to a record $145.8 million in fiscal year 2016, which translates into a range of new opportunities for students across a variety of academic disciplines.

“This university would not be what it is today without the generosity of our donors,” said Ƶ Boulder Chancellor Philip P. DiStefano. “Donors give to organizations and programs they are passionate about and that are well managed. At Ƶ Boulder, they are supporting the success of students from a diversity of backgrounds who will be our next generation of teachers, scientists and leaders.”

Here are some gift highlights by academic area:

  • Law: The established by Rathod | Mohamedbhai LLC, provides programmatic and scholarship support at the University of Colorado Law School to help with the achievement of a diverse student body and to instill the principles of inclusiveness in the law school community.
  • Education: The was established for students who are pursuing teacher licensure and are committed to advancing educational opportunities in under-resourced schools, especially those that serve African American communities. The scholarship is named in honor of the Nilons, Ƶ Boulder’s first African American professor and librarian.
  • Telecommunications: The campus’s first endowed telecom chair from a $4 million bequest in honor of Jack Baskin, a Ƶ Boulder engineering student and saxophonist in the marching band in the late 1930s, was established to further the standardization of telecommunications and support the Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program.
  • Bioscience: For first-year graduate students participating in an interdisciplinary bioscience program, the Olke C. Uhlenbeck Endowed Graduate Fund supports each recipient for a two-year period. A gift from John F. Milligan and Kathryn Bradford-Milligan, John Milligan studied under Uhlenbeck, an international biochemist and RNA research leader.
  • Music: The provides support for graduate students pursing a master’s of music or doctor of musical arts in choral conducting and literature degrees. It is especially intended for students with a demonstrated interest in conducting a wide chronology of choral music from the Renaissance period through contemporary.
  • Business: An endowment of just over $2 million with an additional $1.2 million operating support agreement gifted to the Leeds School of Business by Ƶ Boulder alumni William and Jane Reynolds established the Hernando de Soto Capital Markets Program in property rights for undergraduate students.
  • Athletics: , a passageway connecting Colorado Avenue and Stadium Drive, allowed thousands of campus community members to leave a legacy in the form of an engraved brick, contributing to the Athletic Department’s Sustainable Excellence Initiative.

Private contributions in the fiscal year 2016 to Ƶ’s four campuses combined also set a new record with more than $384.5 million in support coming from individuals, foundations and corporations, the Ƶ system announced today.

“We feel deep appreciation for the generosity provided by so many,” said Deb Coffin, Ƶ Boulder Vice Chancellor for Advancement. “Their support ensures that Ƶ Boulder remains a leader in transformational research, education and innovation.”

to learn more about giving to Ƶ Boulder.